Golden Dome is envisioned to incorporate floor and space-based capabilities that may detect and cease missiles in any respect 4 main levels of a possible assault: detecting and destroying them earlier than a launch, intercepting them of their earliest stage of flight, stopping them midcourse within the air, or halting them within the ultimate minutes as they descend towards a goal.
For the previous couple of months, Pentagon planners have been creating choices, which a US official described as medium, excessive and “further excessive” decisions, primarily based on their value, that embody space-based interceptors.
The administration picked the “excessive” model, with an preliminary value ranging between US$30 billion and $100 billion, in response to the official, who spoke on situation of anonymity to element plans that haven’t been made public.
The distinction within the three variations is essentially primarily based on what number of satellites and sensors in house could be bought, and for the primary time, space-based interceptors.
The Congressional Funds Workplace estimated this month that simply the space-based parts of the Golden Dome might value as a lot as $542 billion over the subsequent 20 years. Trump has requested an preliminary $25 billion for this system in a proposed tax break invoice that must be authorised by Congress.
The Pentagon has warned for years that the latest missiles developed by China and Russia are so superior that up to date countermeasures are crucial. Golden Dome’s added satellites and interceptors – the place the majority of this system’s value is – could be targeted on stopping these superior missiles early on or in the course of their flight.
The space-based weapons envisioned for Golden Dome “symbolize new and rising necessities for missions which have by no means earlier than been achieved by navy house organisations,” Gen. Likelihood Saltzman, head of the US Area Drive, informed lawmakers at a listening to on Tuesday.
