[Yonhap News Photo]
The powerful radar of an advanced U.S. missile shield that has strained ties between Seoul and Beijing is capable of detecting the movement of missiles up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) away from its base in South Korea, according to an Americal military magazine.
US troops last month completed the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in Seongju some 200 km southeast of Seoul. The system consists of launchers, interceptors, a fire control and communications unit, and a powerful X-band radar using strong electromagnetic waves.
Beijing argues the THAAD system would "seriously" hurt China's strategic interests. Theoretically, the radar can monitor missile movements in eastern parts of China.
The radar can detect, classify and identify threats of incoming missiles at ranges up to 1,000 km, the US military in South Korea said in its magazine titled "Strategic Digest".
"THAAD intercepts short and medium-range ballistic missiles inside and outside the atmosphere," the magazine said. "It is interoperable with other ballistic missile defense systems, highly mobile, and deployable worldwide."
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