US President Donald Trump has unveiled a plan to create a sophisticated new missile defence shield — Golden Dome — that will be able to intercept threats from space.
Trump had expressed hope of creating a system that can counter next-generation aerial threats just days after starting his second term as president in January.
How costly is the Golden Dome?
According to reports, an initial sum of USD 25 billion has been earmarked for the project, but the government expects that the estimated cost may go up. Some reports have kept the figure at USD 175 billion.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term,” Trump was quoted as saying by ABC News.
“So we’ll have it done in about three years. Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space,” he said.
Trump announced that Space Force General Michael Guetlein will oversee the project.
He is currently serving as the vice chief of space operations at Space Force.
Meanwhile, speaking on the project, the White House wrote on X: “President Trump announced the Golden Dome missile defense shield to protect the homeland from advanced missile threats.”
“Included in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill, this project aims to ensure American security. Congress must pass the bill and send it to the President’s desk,” the X post said.
Iron Dome
It is believed that the system is partly inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome.
Israel has been using the system to intercept rockets and missiles fired towards it since 2011.
The Golden Dome, however, would be many times larger and designed to combat a wider range of threats, including hypersonic weapons able to move faster than the speed of sound and fractional orbital bombardment systems – also called Fobs – that could deliver warheads from space, reported BBC.
