The United States is preparing an unprecedented anti-missile shield, known as the „Golden Dome,” inspired by Israel’s „Iron Dome” system but designed to cover the entire country.
The project, estimated at $175 billion with a target date of 2028, will include four layers of defense – one space-based and three terrestrial – and will integrate state-of-the-art technologies against ballistic threats, from interceptors in low orbit to mobile Patriot systems.
The system will have 11 short-range action batteries located in the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, according to a recent presentation by the U.S. government on the project, as reported on Wednesday by Reuters.
The event titled "Go Fast, Think Big!," attended last week by 3,000 defense contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, revealed in a comprehensive slide-show the unprecedented complexity of the system, which has an ambitious launch deadline of 2028 set by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Estimated Costs at $175 Billion
The system is estimated to cost $175 billion, but images indicated uncertainties still hover over the basic architecture of the project, as the number of launchers, interceptors, ground stations, and missile facilities required for the system has not yet been determined.
"They have a lot of money, but they don't have a cost target yet," concluded a U.S. official. To date, Congress has allocated $25 billion for the Golden Dome in the budget adopted in July. Another $45.3 billion is earmarked for the Golden Dome in the presidential budget proposal for 2026.
Designed as a multi-layer missile shield for the United States, the Golden Dome draws inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome but is significantly larger, considering the geographical area it will need to protect and the complexity of the varied threats it will face.
According to the presented images, the system's architecture consists of four integrated layers: a space detection, warning, missile tracking, and "anti-missile" layer, and three terrestrial layers consisting of missile interceptors, radar networks, and potentially lasers.
A surprise was a new extensive missile facility - apparently in the Midwest region of the U.S., according to a map contained in the presentation - for the Next Generation Interceptors (NGI), manufactured by Lockheed Martin and which would be part of the 'upper layer,' alongside Aegis and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, also manufactured by Lockheed.
NGI is the upgraded missile for the radar network, interceptors, and other Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) equipment - currently the primary missile shield to protect the United States from the intercontinental ballistic missiles of so-called rogue states.
Details Kept Secret
The U.S. operates GMD launch sites in Southern California and Alaska, and this plan would add a third site in the Midwest to counter additional threats.
Other technical obstacles identified in the presentation included communication latency throughout the so-called 'kill chain' of the systems. Contractors such as Lockheed, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Boeing have a variety of missile defense systems.
Notably, Reuters notes, SpaceX by Elon Musk was not mentioned in the presentation, despite being part of a bidding for Golden Dome contracts alongside software producer Palantir and defense systems manufacturer Anduril.
The Pentagon also indicated that it is working on gathering information "from industry, academia, national laboratories, and other government agencies to support the Golden Dome," but it would be "imprudent" to release more information about a program in such early stages.
A key objective for the Golden Dome is to intercept targets during the "boost phase," the slow and predictable ascent through Earth's atmosphere of a rocket, by deploying space interceptors that can intercept incoming missiles more rapidly.
The presentation highlighted that the United States "have built both interceptors and reentry vehicles," but not a vehicle that can withstand the heat of reentry into the atmosphere while tracking an enemy rocket.
The final lines of defense, termed the "lower layer" and "Limited Area Defense," will include new radars and current systems, such as the Patriot missile defense system and a new "common" launcher that will deploy current and future interceptors against all types of threats. These modular and relocatable systems are intended to minimize reliance on already prepared sites, allowing for rapid deployment in multiple theaters of operations.
General Michael Guetlein, confirmed last month to lead the Golden Dome project, has 30 days from his confirmation on July 17 to form a team, another 60 days to deliver an initial system design, and 120 days to present a complete implementation plan, including details on satellites and ground stations, according to sources who had access to a document signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, as reported by Reuters.