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21st May 2025
11:28am BST
Donald Trump has revealed plans for a £130m 'Golden Dome' that has been inspired by Israel's infamous 'Iron Dome' defence system.
The President of the United States unveiled the grand plans at a press conference at the White House that are intended to neutralise attacks from Russia and China.
The two-time president made promises about "protecting the homeland" with a portrayal of the system on a canvas behind him resembling something from a 1920s world's fair.
He said: "Today, I’m pleased to announce that we have officially selected an architecture for this state-of-the-art system that will deploy next-generation technologies across the land, sea and space, including space-based sensors and interceptors."
The project has been inspired by Israel's own Iron Dome defence system which was first deployed in 2011 and has since protected the nation from external missile strikes.
However, this 'Golden Dome' would protect the US on a much larger scale compared to Israel.
Whereas the Iron Dome uses radar to detect incoming missiles before shooting them down, the Golden dome would use satellites to detect even the most advanced missiles that could pose a threat to the US.
There would also be satellites capable of shooting down missiles too.
Giving a timeframe on the ambitious defence system, Trump said it would be "fully operational before the end of my term."
This would be before January 2028.
The system is set to be built in a range of places across The States, including Alaska, Florida, Georgia and Indiana.
Multiple defence companies will be involved in the building the first-of-its-kind project and, of course, Trump's first buddy Elon Musk is likely to be involved.
Trump said: "Once fully constructed, the Golden Dome will be capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space.
"And we will have the best system ever built."
The US President made sure everyone knew who was behind the idea.
He told reporters: "I suggested it and they all said, ‘We love the idea, sir.’
"That’s the way it has to be, right? But they want it. And they wanted it badly once it was suggested."
However, many have expressed concerns over where the funding for this project will come from.
Despite the US military having the largest budget in the world at almost $1trillion, the same as the next nine largest budgets combined, it remains uncertain if such a large chunk can be funnelled into the scheme.
Concerns have also been voiced over the likely involvement of SpaceX owner Elon Musk who has already emerged as a frontrunner to build key components of the system.
