Will Trump be able to create an Iron Dome in the US. Answers to the main questions

One of U.S. President Donald Trump's election promises was the creation of the Iron Dome missile defense system in the United States to protect the country from possible air strikes. Whether the American "Iron Dome" will be a copy of the Israeli one and whether the appearance of such a system in the United States is possible in principle - in the material of "Izvestia".

What is the peculiarity of the "Iron Dome"?

- Israel's missile defense system "Iron Dome" was designed to intercept unguided missiles such as "Kassam" and "Grad", which were launched from the Gaza Strip at short distances - from 4 to 70 km. The system identifies targets using radar, as such missiles are difficult to detect by other methods.

- "Iron Dome" was developed in parallel with the anti-missile system "Nautilus" of the U.S. Navy, which instead of anti-missiles used a laser. According to test results, the Nautilus reacted worse to projectiles launched at close range and proved ineffective against the threats Israel faced. In addition, the Iron Dome uses several weapons that can intercept missiles, making it virtually universal.

Cut to the gut: why Trump canceled federal aid in the U.S.

The administration is being forced to cut spending - mostly at the expense of political opponents

- Unguided projectiles do not always hit their targets, so the Iron Dome system identifies real threats and works only on them, without being distracted by rockets that will crash in open terrain and not harm protected facilities. This selectivity and quick response to the threat are the main advantages of Iron Dome.

What are the disadvantages of the Iron Dome system?

- Since the Iron Dome system relies on radar, it is more difficult for it to intercept projectiles that fly below its radio horizon line, which, according to industry experts, can be 30-40 meters above the ground. Interception is also impossible if the distance from the launch site to the target is only 2-3 km, because the system will not have time to react.

- "Iron Dome" is the lower stage of Israel's three-tiered missile defense system - it intercepts old and homemade projectiles from a short distance and is ineffective when it comes to medium- and long-range ballistics. Against such missiles, the state has specially developed anti-missile systems, "David's Baton," Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, jointly developed with American companies.

Trump pum-pum-pum: Kiev could lose half of Western military aid

When Ukraine should expect new problems and whether the U.S. is capable of completely withdrawing funding from it

- With all the selectivity of the system "Iron Dome" can be overloaded with the number of targets and therefore can miss individual strikes on protected objects. In particular, this happened during the Palestinian attack on October 7 and 8, 2023, when more than 3,000 rockets were launched at the territory of Israel. In addition, there may simply not be enough interceptor missiles to repel massive attacks.

- Another disadvantage of the Iron Dome is its cost. The battery of the system in July 2024 was estimated at $50 million, and the Tamir anti-missile for it cost from $50 to $80 thousand. Grad and Kassam shells, which were used to attack Israel, were sold 10-20 times cheaper. Considering that Iron Dome fires two anti-missiles at each target, the cost of defense is incomparably high.

Can Iron Dome defend the U.S. as well as Israel?

- It is technically possible to reproduce the Israeli Iron Dome system in the United States, since its development by Israeli companies Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries was supported by the United States, and the American company Raytheon (manufacturer of NASAMS and Patriot systems - Ed.), continues to produce Tamir missiles for Iron Dome. The system will be able to protect U.S. border cities in case of close attacks from neighboring countries, but so far there are no such threats on the U.S. borders.

Forces beneath the heavens: another Chinese neural network will hit Trump's AI empire

US plans to create universal artificial intelligence have been jeopardized

- Foreign analysts estimate that it would cost about $2470 trillion to protect the continental United States , while the annual defense budget of the U.S. is $849.8 billion. It would take several years to produce enough weapons, and the Iron Dome itself would eventually be able to protect only against short-range missiles with relatively low speed and would be completely ineffective against intercontinental ballistic missiles.

What does Trump mean by "Iron Dome?"

- Judging by Trump's executive order posted on the White House website, by "Iron Dome" he does not mean Israeli missile defense, but a very different system proposed 40 years ago by U.S. President Ronald Reagan. The program, called "Star Wars," relied on fictitious technologies and therefore was not implemented.

- "Iron Dome" for the US includes creating a "space fighter architecture" and repelling missile attacks before launch, reminiscent of the Brilliant Pebbles system proposed under Reagan. It envisioned the creation of multiple spacecraft that could stop ballistic missiles and their components during the acceleration phase by colliding with them at high speeds. To do this, such vehicles would have to be constantly over Russia, China and other US adversaries.

What is the difficulty in realizing Trump's plan?

- The realization of this project is rooted in huge costs, which are still extremely difficult to estimate. The U.S. would need 500 satellites just to have multiple interceptors within range of the launch sites of the DPRK, a longtime U.S. adversary. Space sensors to detect and track missiles have not yet been developed, but if the idea is implemented, another danger is possible: such a system could turn from a means of defense into a weapon.

- Russia has opposed placing weapons in space and turning it into an "arena of armed confrontation." At the same time, according to many estimates, Russia already has something to counter the U.S. ambitions. In particular, it is the "Burevestnik" - the world's only missile with its own nuclear reactor on board, thanks to which the projectile has an unlimited range, can enter from any point, maneuver and make several turns around the globe.

- Trump expects to use the Iron Dome to thwart the threat of ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missile attacks. The United States is indeed left virtually naked before the threat of hypersonic missiles: now the United States has absolutely nothing to counter modern weapons developed in Russia.

In preparing the material Izvestia spoke with:

• military and political observer, expert on NATO armies, journalist Alexander Artamonov;
• Konstantin Sivkov, deputy president of the Russian Academy of Missile and Artillery Sciences, military and public figure, military and political analyst, specialist in military political science.