Inventories of THAAD interceptors also stand somewhere between 234 and 278, compared with 452 before hostilities resumed with Iran. This has required extensive use of interceptors, with Patriot inventories now under 1,000 and THAAD inventories at about 250,” the analysts note. Patriot systems are the U.S. Army’s primary medium-range air defense weapon used to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and aircraft. The PAC-3 and PAC-3 MSE are the U.S. Army’s most capable land-based ballistic missile interceptors, unlike the older PAC-2, which was originally optimized for aircraft. The newer versions, however, use hit-to-kill technology, meaning they are designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles through direct, high-speed collision rather than by detonating nearby.