A major U.S.-led effort is under way to protect NATO’s European territory against ballistic missiles that could be fired by Iran, for instance, in retaliation for any preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.

Lockheed describes THAAD as the only system with the flexibility to intercept targets both inside and outside the earth’s atmosphere.

Other leading missile-defense contractors include Boeing Co (BA.N), Raytheon Co (RTN.N) and Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC.N).

President Barack Obama’s administration notified Congress last month of a possible sale to Kuwait of 60 PATRIOT Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles and associated gear in a deal worth up to $4.2 billion.

Such a sale would help deter regional threats among other things, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation said in the notice to lawmakers.