Military expert points to US inability to create Iron Dome in coming years

The United States has practically no missile defense system (BMD), and the state has no chances to create the Iron Dome in the coming years. This was stated by military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin to Izvestia on January 28.

Earlier in the day, the White House press service reported that US President Donald Trump signed a decree on the beginning of the development of the national missile defense system "Iron Dome". According to the text of the document, the Secretary of Defense must provide Trump with a "reference architecture" and "implementation plan" for the project within 60 days from the date of the decree.

Commenting on this, Litovkin said that the US does not have an ABM system, but it does have a joint air defense system with Canada. However, he noted, this system is ineffective because it protects the country only from missiles from the north. According to the newspaper's interlocutor, the Americans used to think that they were protected by two oceans and did not invest in the development of missile defense, as Russia did.

"Even the widely publicized Patriot PAC-3 system, which they brag about, is no match for our S-300, S-350, not to mention the S-400. <...> That's why we destroy all these Patriot systems in Ukraine on a regular basis. And as for the defense of the country (the U.S. - Ed.) from the east, from the west, especially from the south, they have nothing at all," the expert explained.

Against this background, the creation of a new system "Iron Dome", which will include the work of satellites, ground systems and missile attack warning systems will take years, said Litovkin. At the same time, he emphasized, there are no guarantees that the U.S. will succeed. For example, Russia currently has hypersonic missiles that no one is able to shoot down.

Earlier, on January 19, Trump said that the four-year period of decline in the US will end at the time of his inauguration. The US president-elect's plans also include strengthening the country's military potential, for example, he announced his intention to develop an anti-missile "Iron Dome" to protect territories.