Tel Aviv: Israeli defence companies are evaluating if their technologies can be incorporated in the “Golden Dome” multibillion US Dollar programme initiated by President Trump.
Last month, President Donald J. Trump told Congress and Americans that the US would pursue a Golden Dome, similar to Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system, designed to protect against inbound missile attacks.
According to an official announcement made by the US Department of Defence, the office of the Undersecretary of Defence for Acquisition and Sustainment is working with partner agencies, including the Missile Defense Agency and the military services, to make that happen.
“Consistent with protecting the homeland and per President Trump’s [executive order], we’re working with the industrial base and [through] supply chain challenges associated with standing up the Golden Dome,”
In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan wanted to build such an air defence system, but technology wasn’t available at the time to bring that project to fruition.
According to the US official statement, the Golden Dome is going to be layers of architecture working together at all group level elevations … to protect the United States. “So we’re going to need all the services and agencies that do this kind of work to step up,” it said.
President Trump initiated this huge programme after receiving details about the Israeli multilayered missiles defence system.
Israel has a multi-tiered defence system. It consists of the Iron Dome designed to intercept short range rockets , David’s Sling designed to intercept longer range rockets, the Arrow – 2 against conventional ballistic missiles and the Arrow -3 designed to intercept longer range ballistic missile carrying unconventional warheads. All this by kinetic kill.
All these systems operate in concert, thanks to advanced radars and real time data transfer systems that are used to determine what interceptor is launched against any threat.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
