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News: United States President Donald Trump announced that he has selected a $175bn multilayered Golden Dome missile defence programme aimed at countering aerial threats. Golden Dome’ Missile Defence Shield.
About Golden Dome’ Missile Defence Shield
- The Golden Dome is a proposed, next-generation missile defence system unveiled by U.S. President Donald Trump in May 2025.
- It is designed as a multi-layered shield to protect the entire United States from a wide range of missile threats—including ballistic, hypersonic, cruise missiles, and even missiles launched from space—by integrating both terrestrial and, for the first time, space-based technologies.
- Background: A space-based defence system was first envisaged by Ronald Reagan, the Republican US president from 1981 to 1989. Amidst the Cold War, Reagan proposed a barrier to nuclear weapons that included space-based technology, as part of his Strategic Defense Initiative, or Star Wars project.
- Working: The Golden Dome is envisioned to operate across four major stages of missile flight: pre-launch, boost phase, midcourse and terminal descent.
Components
- Components of the Golden Dome will be drawn from existing American missile defence assets, including Patriot missile batteries, THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defence), Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence, and Ground-based Midcourse Defence (GMD).
Comparisons with Israel’s Iron Dome
- Israel’s Iron Dome is a missile defence system designed to intercept short-range projectiles, the US system would have to address intercontinental and hypersonic threats over the vast continental territory.
