US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced plans for a "Golden Dome" in the skies — on the lines of Israel's "Iron Dome" — to protect the United States from long-range missiles. Announcing the $175 billion plan to put a US weapon in space for the first time, Trump said that the Golden Dome should be “fully operational” by the end of his second term in early 2029.
"We will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea and space," Trump said during the announcement.
"Israel and other places have it... and the US should too. This is a very dangerous world. We're going to protect our citizens like never before," he added.
The Golden Dome, though designed for a different geopolitical challenge, functions similarly in theory to Israel's battle-tested Iron Dome and India's indigenous air defence systems. They are all aimed at protecting civilian populations and strategic assets from airborne threats.
Here's a closer look at how they compare:
Israel's Iron Dome
Israel “Iron Dome" multilayered defence system has played an important role in protecting it from rockets, projectiles and missiles from militant groups in the conflict against Hamas in October 2023.
US supported Israel in the development of the sophisticated missile defence system which was designed to intercept long-range missiles. Its dexterity lies in picking incoming fire and deploying a response only if the missile is aimed at a military or civilian infrastructure and towards populous areas.
It consists of the below-mentioned parts —
The Arrow: It operates outside the earth's atmosphere. In the past, it has proved its efficacy by intercepting long-range missiles launched by Houthis in Yemen and by Iran in 2024.
David’s Sling: Developed in association with the US, David's Sling has been designed to intercept medium-range missiles — like the ones owned by Lebanon's Hezbollah militants, which it successfully did on multiple occasions last year. Specialising in shooting down short-range rockets, it has intercepted thousands of rockets launched by Hamas and Hezbollah at a success rate of over 90 percent.
Iron Beam Laser Tech: Israel is calling an under-development laser weapon its "game changer", as the new system would intercept incoming projectiles with laser an at a much lower cost than other existing missile defence systems. As per Israeli media reports, a single Iron Dome interception costs about $50,000, others can cost over $2 million per missile, but the Iron Beam laser tech would do it at just a few dollars.
Trump's Golden Dome
Trump's proposed system will feature multiple defensive layers:
Space-Based Infrared System (SBIS): The first layer of defence will consist of the SBIS, which will work in tandem with ground-based radars to detect incoming threats using satellite technology.
Ground-Based Midcourse Defence (GMD): The GMD will serve as the base for defending the US against intercontinental ballistic missiles or ICBMs (like the ones warned by North Korean leader Kim Jng Un). It will utilize interceptors positioned on the US' West Coast to intercept missiles during their midcourse phase.
Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD): BMD, which utilises naval vessels to engage short to intermediate-range ballistic missiles, will be tasked with providing maritime protection. President Barack Obama had implemented the Aegis in 2009 while abandoning missile sites in Poland — a move that calmed ased tensions with Russia — and equipped US Navy warships with upgraded SM-2 surface-to-air missiles.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD): The movable land-based hit-to-kill system is capable of intercepting various ranges of ballistic missiles in their terminal phase. The Thaad is already deployed in Israel, where it intercepted a ballistic missile reportedly launched from Yemen by Houthi rebels in December 2024.
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3): These interceptor missiles will be deployed for shorter-range threats. Its deployment also has to do with US' strategy to counter potential Chinese hypersonic weapon deployments in the Pacific region. The U.S. and Japan have collaborated to establish PAC-3 systems in Japanese territory.
India's Integrated Air Defence System
India's integrated air defence system consolidates data from Army, Navy and the Air Force to intercept and take on aerial threats through the Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS).
First tier: The first layer of this multi-tiered defence system utilizes air defence guns to take down drones and projectiles.
Second Tier: This is followed by to-a-point defence systems protecting specific assets and areas with short-range surface-to-air missiles like Spyder, Pechora, and OSA-AK.
Third Tier: The third layer utilises medium-range surface-to-air missiles such as Akash and the Indo-Israeli MRSAM.
Fourth Tier: The fourth layer provides area defence using Russian-made S-400 long-range SAMs and fighter aircraft.
Apart from these, India has also integrated the Army's Akashteer air defence system , which, as per the Air Force's doctrine, seamlessly integrates ground-based, airborne and space systems.
Notably, India’s multi-layered air defence systems came into the spotlight for successfully neutralising all aerial threats from Pakistan during the intense military escalation earlier this month.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
