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

1. The question asks to identify the nature of "Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)", which is often seen in the news. 2. THAAD is a transportable system developed by the United States. 3. Its primary function is to intercept and destroy short, medium, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase (descent or re-entry) using a hit-to-kill approach. 4. Therefore, it is correctly identified as an American anti-missile system (Option C). 5. Option (A) is incorrect; THAAD is American, not Israeli. 6. Option (B) is incorrect; it is not India's indigenous programme. 7. Option (D) is incorrect; while relevant to Japan and South Korea due to deployment discussions/decisions, it's not a joint collaboration between them.