Iran missile strikes at US base in Qatar a 'simple task' for air defences

Australia Broadcast Center

24-06-2025

All of a sudden, there were loud booms and the windows started shaking.
Mehran Kamrava, a professor at Georgetown University in Qatar's capital, Doha, knew what he was supposed to do, but did the opposite.
"Which was rush outside and look up in the sky," he said.
"I saw these flying lights, and the night sky was not like anything I had seen before.
Qatar was the target of Iranian missile strikes on Monday, local time, as Tehran retaliated against the US bombing three critical nuclear sites.
Iran said it was aiming for Al Udeid, the largest US military air base in the Middle East.
Al Udeid Air Base hosts the US Central Command headquarters and is home to more than 11,000 US and Coalition service members.
It is spread across 24 hectares in the desert, just outside Qatar's capital.
The base is close enough for Doha residents to witness the flashes in the sky, as the country's air defences intercepted the wave of ballistic missiles.
"I live about 30km (from the base) ... So, it's not that far," Professor Kamrava told ABC Radio National.
Iran's National Security Council said it targeted the base "in response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities".
In its statement, the council said 14 missiles were launched, "the same as the number of bombs that the US had used".
A US defence official said no one was hurt in the attack.
Iran gave advance notice to the US and Qatari authorities hours ahead of the strikes.
Qatar, which lies 190km south of Iran, said its "air defences successfully intercepted the missile attack".
In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump wrote that 13 missiles were intercepted and one missile was "set free" because it was not deemed a threat.
US officials said medium-range ballistic missiles were used in the strikes.
They were intercepted by US and Qatari Patriot air defence batteries, US Central Command said in a statement.
Bases in Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE are protected by the US-developed Patriot missile batteries.
The Patriot is a long-range missile defence system.
Each Patriot battery consists of a truck-mounted launching system, a ground radar, a control station and a generator.
They have eight launchers that can typically hold up to four missile interceptors each.
The portable batteries can protect an area of up to 100km, and are commonly used to defend military sites.
Dougal Robertson from defence firm Felix Advisory, who is a former intelligence officer for the Royal Australian Air Force, said Patriots were made to take out missiles.
The number of missiles launched by Iran would have been "pretty easy" for the system to defend against.
"In this instance, it was a really relatively simple task for the Patriot," he told the ABC.
"Because of the low number of weapons, even if there had been no notice, the US would've been able to detect them quite quickly."
Before Israel launched Operation Rising Lion, Iran was believed to have the largest and most diverse ballistic missile stockpile in the Middle East.
Israel said the goal of its strikes on Iran was to dismantle the country's nuclear program and ballistic missile stockpile.
Ballistic missiles travel at high speeds, soaring to high altitudes before taking a deep and fast dive.
This trajectory — going beyond the atmosphere before plummeting down to Earth — can make the missiles particularly difficult to intercept.
Videos circulating online appear to show the remains of a Patriot PAC-3 missile following the defence against the Iranian attack.
Mr Robertson said the Patriot PAC-3 was an advanced capability missile with greater guidance accuracy to directly hit ballistic missiles.
It uses a "hit to kill intercept", striking the target at high altitudes and destroying it with kinetic energy.
"Generally, ballistic missiles are coming in at several times the speed of sound — sometimes up to about mach five — so you don't want to miss," he said.
"Being able to hit the target directly, it reduces the probability of missing the target.
"Generally, between two and three patriot missiles will be fired to ensure they hit a target."
Qatar also has the US Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems.
The THAAD was specifically designed for ballistic missile defence.
US bases in the region have been on high alert and taking precautions since the conflict between Israel and Iran erupted on June 13.
And after the US strikes on Iran's nuclear sites over the weekend, Tehran warned that American assets in the region were "legitimate targets".
US officials told Reuters that aircraft not in hardened shelters had been moved from Al Udeid base.
And naval vessels had been moved from a port in Bahrain, where the military's 5th fleet is located.
Mr Robertson said the US had an integrated system of defence across the region.
If Iran attempted further strikes on US bases, it would be put into action.
"It involves ships in the Persian Gulf. It involves airborne assets. It involves land-based radar," he said.
"So, they know where the threat is coming from, and roughly the direction."
ABC/Wires