What is “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)”, sometimes seen in the news?

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) is an American anti-ballistic missile defense system.

It is designed to intercept and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase (descent or re-entry).

THAAD uses a hit-to-kill approach, relying on kinetic energy to destroy incoming missiles. This minimizes the risk of exploding conventional warheads and prevents nuclear-tipped missiles from detonating upon impact.

THAAD's development was accelerated by the lessons learned from Iraq's Scud missile attacks during the 1991 Gulf War.

Therefore, the correct answer is that THAAD is an American anti-missile system.

Sources:

• Insights on India - THAAD