US President Donald Trump has proposed to construct a ‘golden dome’ on the lines of Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence.
During his first address to a joint sitting of the Congress after returning to the White House for a second term, Trump said the US should have a missile defence shield to “protect our homeland in a very dangerous world”.
“As a first step, I am asking Congress to fund a state-of-the-art golden dome missile defence shield to protect our homeland — all made in the USA,” Trump said.
“Ronald Reagan wanted to do it long ago, but the technology just wasn’t there, not even close. But now we have the technology. It’s incredible, actually. And other places — they have it, Israel has it. Other places have it. And the United States should have it too, right, Tim, right? They should have it too. So I want to thank you. But it’s a very, very important — this is a very dangerous world — we should have it,” he added.
What is golden dome program?
The national missile defence programme is aimed to secure US from the threat of attack by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks.
Launched on January 27, the programme is likely to operate on a larger scale by incorporating advanced technology, such as space-based sensors and interceptors.
Under the programme, United States will provide for the common defence of its citizens and the Nation by deploying and maintaining a next-generation missile defence shield, deter — and defend its citizens and critical infrastructure against — any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland, and guarantee its secure second-strike capability.
The Ground-Based Midcourse defence (GMD) is the cornerstone of the US defence system against intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). It utilizes ground-based interceptors stationed in Alaska and California to intercept missiles during their midcourse phase.
The Aegis Ballistic Missile defence (BMD) is a system designed to protect against short- to intermediate-range ballistic missiles. It is both sea- and land-based, with warships used to intercept missiles during their flight.
Terminal High Altitude Area defence (THAAD) is a mobile, land-based defence system that targets short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. The system uses hit-to-kill technology, meaning the intercepting missile collides head-on with an incoming threat to destroy it.
THAAD is also deployed in Israel, where it successfully intercepted a ballistic missile fired by the Houthi rebels from Yemen in December last year.
A standard THAAD battery includes six truck-mounted launchers, each capable of carrying up to eight interceptors, along with a radar system capable of detecting threats up to 3,000 kilometers away and a fire control system to manage the defence efforts.
For shorter-range ballistic missiles and other air threats in their terminal phase, the US also relies on the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptor missiles. These interceptors are integral to countering potential Chinese hypersonic weapons in the Pacific region.
Israel’s ‘Iron Dome’
The Iron Dome in Israel is a multi-layered missile defence system developed to protect against short-range threats, primarily rocket fire from groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. The development of this system began in 2007, and it was operational by 2011.
At its core is the Iron Dome, designed to intercept and destroy short-range rockets. Other layers in the system include David’s Sling, which targets mid- to long-range missiles, and the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 systems, which are designed to shoot down long-range ballistic missiles.
US has played a significant role in supporting the development of Israel’s missile defence systems, particularly the Arrow-2. By 2020, the US had contributed more than $3.7 billion toward the Arrow weapon system.
