Rapid Fire
Golden Dome Missile Defence Project
- 23 May 2025
- 2 min read
The US President announced the creation of a ‘Golden Dome’ missile defence programme to counter advanced aerial threats, including missiles launched from space.
- About: It is a missile defense project with space-based sensors and interceptors, designed to create a multilayered shield, neutralize hypersonic, ballistic, cruise missiles, and drones from anywhere in the world—including space.
- Thousands of satellites will orbit Earth to intercept missiles shortly after launch—a concept first explored by Nazi Germany during World War II, and by the Soviet Union and the US during the Cold War.
- It draws inspiration from Israel's Iron Dome and Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars project), aiming to deploy a multi-layered missile shield.
- Comparison with Iron Dome: The Golden Dome is an ambitious next-generation defense system covering land, sea, and space, while the Iron Dome is a short-range, ground-based system that relies only on radar, not satellites.
- Similar Initiatives: Few countries like the US, China, France, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom have a Space Force (military branch responsible for conducting operations in outer space).
| Read More: Strategic Defence Technologies in India |
