US secretly tested Golden Dome missile defense system - Hegseth
US President Trump and Secretary of Defense Hegseth (Photo: Getty Images)
The US has successfully conducted the first large-scale tests of the latest missile defense shield, the Golden Dome. The ambitious system is designed to completely cover the skies over North America against any airborne threats, reports Newsweek.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally observed the process. He called the project real and powerful. During the tests, an autonomous system independently detected and destroyed targets.
During the tests, advanced directed energy was used. Details are still scarce, but this could mean the use of lasers or microwave radiation to engage objects.
How much does the "Golden Dome" cost?
The US plans to build a vast missile defense system that will combine trackers, sensors, and interceptors. The system is expected to be ready by the end of Donald Trump's presidential term.
Key features of the shield:
- Destruction of drones and cruise missiles.
- Interception of targets flying from space.
- Fully automated operation.
- Defense against hypersonic weapons.
The main threat is hypersonic missiles from Russia and China, which travel at speeds up to five times the speed of sound. Such projectiles constantly maneuver, and conventional air defense systems cannot detect them. The Golden Dome is meant to change the rules of the game.
The White House began developing the project in January 2025. Currently, the US does not have protection against a massive ballistic missile strike. Existing systems can only handle isolated launches, such as those from North Korea. The new shield is intended to become a global solution.
For fiscal year 2027, the administration has requested a defense budget of $1.5 trillion. A significant portion of these funds will go specifically toward deploying the dome. The US is already the world leader in military spending. Now, these expenditures will become even larger.
What else is known about the US rearmament
The States are currently placing a major emphasis on drones, following Ukraine's successes in resisting Russian aggression. The US Army plans to deploy training ranges that will replicate real-world electronic warfare (EW) conditions on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Additionally, the Pentagon is currently looking for skilled specialists to build a PC without a battery or memory. The system must be able to adapt to new tasks without the help of engineers or a network connection.
