US boosts Iron Dome funding by $10 billion for space capabilities
Illustrative photo: the Iron Dome to receive an additional $10 billion in funding (Getty Images)
The US is increasing funding for the Iron Dome missile defense project, focusing on the development of space capabilities, Reuters informs.
According to the program’s director, US Space Force General Michael Guetlein, the project’s cost has risen to $185 billion, including an additional $10 billion allocated for the development of key space components.
"We were asked to accelerate some space capabilities," he said at the McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Arlington, Virginia.
This includes expanding ground-based defense assets such as interceptors, sensors, and command systems, as well as adding space-based elements designed to detect, track, and potentially counter threats from orbit. These will include advanced satellite networks and orbital weapons, which remain a subject of debate.
Guetlein noted that the new capabilities are needed in light of growing threats from the development of hypersonic weapons.
Key areas of funding include missile tracking programs, a space-based data relay network, and the HBTSS system, intended to detect hypersonic and ballistic targets.
Major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman, have already joined the project.
The program director also emphasized that a fully operational missile defense system is expected to be established within the next decade.
"They're not estimating what I'm building,” Guetlein added, commenting on program cost estimates exceeding $1 trillion.
He said that the command system plays a central role in the project, calling it the "secret sauce" of the Iron Dome.
At the same time, one of the biggest challenges remains space-based interceptors, particularly their cost and scalability.
Last year, the US allocated nearly $1 billion to modernize its space-based early warning system — a component of the Iron Dome missile defense concept promoted by former President Donald Trump.
It was later revealed that Washington is implementing the project jointly with Canada, creating a unified missile defense shield for North America. Trump also mentioned the need to control Greenland to deploy elements of the missile defense system.
Additionally, Japan plans to join the initiative and increase missile production at the US’s request. An announcement on this may come during a meeting between the two countries’ leaders on March 19.
