Leaving United States forces temporarily “operating blind” in the Middle East amid a raging war, Iran has destroyed the US Space Force's AN/FPS-132 (Block 5) Ballistic Missile Early Warning Radar System in Qatar, in retaliatory drone attacks, reports said, citing satellite imagery of Planet Labs.
And it is not just hardware that has been destroyed. The "system", valued at roughly $1.1 billion, functioned as the “nervous system” of the US missile defence across the Gulf. Satellite imagery by Planet Labs has confirmed the damage in the highly precise strike.
What was the ‘system'?
US Space Force's AN/FPS-132 (Block 5) Ballistic Missile Early Warning Radar System coordinated every Patriot Battery, every THAAD launcher, and the layered air defence network. The US has spent decades and trillions of dollars constructing the radar system.
Also Read: Saudi's Ras Tanura Refinery Struck Again By Iranian Drone, No Damage Reported
What impact will it have on the present war?
The destruction of the radar system means the US interceptors in the Middle East have been partially blinded. The Qatar base, where this system was located, was the most fortified in the Middle East, and it has been significantly weakened. The damage to the radar system means the US's ability to detect and respond to incoming threats has been undermined, leaving the US forces temporarily “operating blind”, the analysts and the experts say.
It also represents a tactical, symbolic and moral win for Iran. Not only has the strike showcased Iran's precision capability, but it has also exposed the US vulnerabilities in the region.
What do the experts say?
“They took our eyes”, tweeted retired US Army Colonel and former Secretary of Defence advisor, Douglas Macgregor, while asserting that the satellite imagery has confirmed massive damage to the “US Space Force's $1.1 billion…radar in Qatar,” he posted on X.
Brian Allen, a geopolitical expert, saw the damage to the radar system as a shift in the war's dynamics. “HOLY HELLLLLLL: Iran just took out a $1.1 billion radar at the most fortified base in the Middle East with a single missile,” he posted on X. Allen, while asserting that “THIS IS BAD”, said that the radar was the backbone of “ALL US missile defence in the Gulf. Every Patriot. Every THAAD. Now operating blind.”
Allen termed the strike “asymmetric warfare” while explaining that Qatar intercepted 101 missiles during this conflict. “Two got through. One hit the only target that mattered. This is asymmetric warfare in one sentence. Iran has to succeed once; we have to be perfect every time.”
“One missile just changed everything,” Allen wrote, questioning the US promise to protect Gulf shipping lanes, “But we couldn't protect a $1.1 billion radar inside our own base-what are those escorts actually guaranteeing?”
Strategist Gerry Nolan said that the timeline was immense and cannot be distilled in a single post, “History will need several volumes”
“3200 ships are sitting idle. European gas is up 50% and climbing fast,” Nolan wrote, “A global recession is no longer a forecast-it's a Wednesday.”
He added that the Guld monarchs, who rented their soil to Washington, are watching their ports burn and their peipelines ger threatened with the navy saying it needs more time. “One missile just changed everything,” he wrote.
Also Read: Dubai No More Safe? Why Iran Targeted The Gulf Arab City After US Strikes - Explained
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