The Trump administration’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense program will feature four integrated layers — one space-based and three on land — along with 11 short-range batteries spread across the continental U.S., Alaska, and Hawaii, according to a U.S. government slide presentation.
The slides, titled “Go Fast, Think Big!”, were presented to 3,000 defense contractors in Huntsville, Alabama, last week. The project, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome but designed on a far larger scale, aims to meet an aggressive 2028 operational deadline set by President Donald Trump, reported Reuters.
Estimated at $175 billion, Golden Dome’s design is still evolving, with key decisions — including the exact number of launchers, interceptors, radar stations, and missile sites — yet to be finalised. “They have a lot of money, but they don’t have a target of what it costs yet,” one U.S. official said.
So far, Congress has approved $25 billion through Trump’s July tax-and-spend bill, with an additional $45.3 billion proposed in the 2026 presidential budget request.
The architecture comprises:
- A space-based missile warning and targeting layer for early detection and tracking
- Three land-based layers of missile interceptors, radar arrays, and possibly laser weapons
- A new large missile field in the Midwest for Next Generation Interceptors (NGI), produced by Lockheed Martin, as part of the “upper layer” alongside THAAD and Aegis systems
- An “under layer” and “Limited Area Defence” using systems like the Patriot missile defense and new “common” launchers for multiple interceptor types
The plan would expand the existing Ground-Based Midcourse Defence (GMD) network, which currently operates from southern California and Alaska, by adding a third Midwest site to counter additional threats.
A major technical challenge identified in the slides is reducing communication delays in the “kill chain” — the sequence from detection to missile interception.
Major defense contractors involved include Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, RTX, and Boeing, though SpaceX, Palantir, and Anduril were not mentioned despite earlier bids.
One of Golden Dome’s central objectives is to destroy missiles in their “boost phase” — the slow, predictable climb through Earth’s atmosphere — using space-based interceptors. However, the U.S. has never built a reentry-capable interceptor that can withstand the extreme heat while pursuing an enemy missile.
The system’s modular, relocatable design is intended to reduce reliance on permanent installations and enable rapid deployment across global theaters.
Space Force General Michael Guetlein, appointed to lead the project on July 17, has 30 days to assemble a team, 60 days to deliver an initial design, and 120 days to present a detailed implementation plan, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
If executed as planned, Golden Dome would represent the most complex and expensive missile defense initiative in U.S. history.