Latest news with #NationalAdvancedSurface-to-AirMissileSystem
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
RTX's Raytheon awarded $1.1 billion U.S. Navy contract to produce AIM-9X Block II missiles
Award represents largest production contract to date TUCSON, Ariz., June 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, was awarded a $1.1 billion contract from the U.S. Navy to produce AIM-9X Block II missiles. This is the largest contract awarded for the program and will increase production to 2,500 missiles per year. 'This award represents a historic milestone for the AIM-9X program, further emphasizing its importance to the U.S. and partnered nations,' said Barbara Borgonovi, president of Naval Power at Raytheon. 'Through our partnership with the U.S. Navy, we are well-positioned to support this increased demand.' AIM-9X is the most advanced infrared-tracking, short-range, air-to-air and surface-to-air missile that is combat proven in several theaters around the world. It is configured for easy installation on a wide range of modern aircraft and provides proven layered defense with ground-launched capabilities, including the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, or NASAMS. A U.S. Navy-led joint program with the U.S. Air Force, AIM-9X is used by over 30 allied and partner nations and continues to gain international interest. About Raytheon Raytheon, an RTX business, is a leading provider of defense solutions to help the U.S. government, our allies and partners defend their national sovereignty and ensure their security. For more than 100 years, Raytheon has developed new technologies and enhanced existing capabilities in integrated air and missile defense, smart weapons, missiles, advanced sensors and radars, interceptors, space-based systems, hypersonics and missile defense across land, air, sea and space. About RTX RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 185,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2024 sales of more than $80 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact [email protected]. View original content: SOURCE RTX
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Golden Dome: Everything to know about Trump's $25 billion missile defense plan
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. President Donald Trump announced a plan to build a missile defense system, called the Golden Dome, on May 20, 2025. The system is intended to protect the United States from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, and missiles launched from space. Trump is calling for the current budget to allocate US$25 billion to launch the initiative, which the government projected will cost $175 billion. He said Golden Dome will be fully operational before the end of his term in three years and will provide close to 100% protection. The Conversation U.S. asked Iain Boyd, an aerospace engineer and director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder, about the Golden Dome plan and the feasibility of Trump's claims. Boyd receives funding for research unrelated to Golden Dome from defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Several countries, including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, have been developing missiles over the past few years that challenge the United States' current missile defense systems. These weapons include updated ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, and new hypersonic missiles. They have been specifically developed to counter America's highly advanced missile defense systems such as the Patriot and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. For example, the new hypersonic missiles are very high speed, operate in a region of the atmosphere where nothing else flies and are maneuverable. All of these aspects combined create a new challenge that requires a new, updated defensive approach. Russia has fired hypersonic missiles against Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. China parades its new hypersonic missiles in Tiananmen Square. So it's reasonable to think that, to ensure the protection of its homeland and to aid its allies, the U.S. may need a new missile defense capability. Related: How do intercontinental ballistic missiles work? Such a defense system requires a global array of geographically distributed sensors that cover all phases of all missile trajectories. First, it is essential for the system to detect the missile threats as early as possible after launch, so some of the sensors must be located close to regions where adversaries may fire them, such as by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Then, it has to track the missiles along their trajectories as they travel hundreds or thousands of miles. These requirements are met by deploying a variety of sensors on a number of different platforms on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. Interceptors are placed in locations that protect vital U.S. assets and usually aim to engage threats during the middle portion of the trajectory between launch and the terminal dive. The U.S. already has a broad array of sensors and interceptors in place around the world and in space primarily to protect the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missiles. The sensors would need to be expanded, including with more space-based sensors, to detect new missiles such as hypersonic missiles. The interceptors would need to be enhanced to enable them to address hypersonic weapons and other missiles and warheads that can maneuver. Intercepting hypersonic missiles specifically involves several steps. First, as explained above, a hostile missile must be detected and identified as a threat. Second, the threat must be tracked along all of its trajectory due to the ability of hypersonic missiles to maneuver. Third, an interceptor missile must be able to follow the threat and get close enough to it to disable or destroy it. The main new challenge here is the ability to track the hypersonic missile continuously. This requires new types of sensors to detect hypersonic vehicles and new sensor platforms that are able to provide a complete picture of the hypersonic trajectory. As described, Golden Dome would use the sensors in a layered approach in which they are installed on a variety of platforms in multiple domains, including ground, sea, air and space. These various platforms would need to have different types of sensors that are specifically designed to track hypersonic threats in different phases of their flight paths. These defensive systems will also be designed to address weapons fired from space. Much of the infrastructure will be multipurpose and able to defend against a variety of missile types. In terms of time frame for deployment, it is important to note that Golden Dome will build from the long legacy of existing U.S. missile defense systems. Another important aspect of Golden Dome is that some of the new capabilities have been under active development for years. In some ways, Golden Dome represents the commitment to actually deploy systems for which considerable progress has already been made. Israel's Iron Dome air defense system has been described as the most effective system of its kind anywhere in the world. But even Iron Dome is not 100% effective, and it has also been overwhelmed on occasion by Hamas and others who fire very large numbers of inexpensive missiles and rockets at it. So it is unlikely that any missile defense system will ever provide 100% protection. The more important goal here is to achieve deterrence, similar to the stalemate in the Cold War with the Soviet Union that was based on nuclear weapons. All of the new weapons that Golden Dome will defend against are very expensive. The U.S. is trying to change the calculus in an opponent's thinking to the point where they will consider it not worth shooting their precious high-value missiles at the U.S. when they know there is a high probability of them not reaching their targets. That seems to me like a very aggressive timeline, but with multiple countries now operating hypersonic missiles, there is a real sense of urgency. Existing missile defense systems on the ground, at sea and in the air can be expanded to include new, more capable sensors. Satellite systems are beginning to be put in place for the space layer. Sensors have been developed to track the new missile threats. Putting all of this highly complex system together, however, is likely to take more than three years. At the same time, if the U.S. fully commits to Golden Dome, a significant amount of progress can be made in this time. President Trump is requesting a total budget for all defense spending of about $1 trillion in 2026. So, $25 billion to launch Golden Dome would represent only 2.5% of the total requested defense budget. Of course, that is still a lot of money, and a lot of other programs will need to be terminated to make it possible. But it is certainly financially achievable. RELATED STORIES —North Korea launches intercontinental ballistic missile to space, reaches record altitude —Stealth destroyer 1st to carry hypersonic missiles that travel 5 times the speed of sound — with testing imminent —Chinese scientists reveal plans for near-invisible stealth missiles that could 'redefine modern warfare' Similar to Iron Dome, Golden Dome will consist of sensors and interceptor missiles but will be deployed over a much wider geographical region and for defense against a broader variety of threats in comparison with Iron Dome. A second-generation Golden Dome system in the future would likely use directed energy weapons such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves to destroy missiles. This approach would significantly increase the number of shots that defenders can take against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. This edited article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Golden Dome: An aerospace engineer explains the proposed nationwide missile defense system
President Donald Trump announced a plan to build a missile defense system, called the Golden Dome, on May 20, 2025. The system is intended to protect the United States from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles, and missiles launched from space. Trump is calling for the current budget to allocate US$25 billion to launch the initiative, which the government projected will cost $175 billion. He said Golden Dome will be fully operational before the end of his term in three years and will provide close to 100% protection. The Conversation U.S. asked Iain Boyd, an aerospace engineer and director of the Center for National Security Initiatives at the University of Colorado Boulder, about the Golden Dome plan and the feasibility of Trump's claims. Boyd receives funding for research unrelated to Golden Dome from defense contractor Lockheed Martin. Several countries, including China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, have been developing missiles over the past few years that challenge the United States' current missile defense systems. These weapons include updated ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, and new hypersonic missiles. They have been specifically developed to counter America's highly advanced missile defense systems such as the Patriot and the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System. For example, the new hypersonic missiles are very high speed, operate in a region of the atmosphere where nothing else flies and are maneuverable. All of these aspects combined create a new challenge that requires a new, updated defensive approach. Russia has fired hypersonic missiles against Ukraine in the ongoing conflict. China parades its new hypersonic missiles in Tiananmen Square. So it's reasonable to think that, to ensure the protection of its homeland and to aid its allies, the U.S. may need a new missile defense capability. Such a defense system requires a global array of geographically distributed sensors that cover all phases of all missile trajectories. First, it is essential for the system to detect the missile threats as early as possible after launch, so some of the sensors must be located close to regions where adversaries may fire them, such as by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran. Then, it has to track the missiles along their trajectories as they travel hundreds or thousands of miles. These requirements are met by deploying a variety of sensors on a number of different platforms on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. Interceptors are placed in locations that protect vital U.S. assets and usually aim to engage threats during the middle portion of the trajectory between launch and the terminal dive. The U.S. already has a broad array of sensors and interceptors in place around the world and in space primarily to protect the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missiles. The sensors would need to be expanded, including with more space-based sensors, to detect new missiles such as hypersonic missiles. The interceptors would need to be enhanced to enable them to address hypersonic weapons and other missiles and warheads that can maneuver. Intercepting hypersonic missiles specifically involves several steps. First, as explained above, a hostile missile must be detected and identified as a threat. Second, the threat must be tracked along all of its trajectory due to the ability of hypersonic missiles to maneuver. Third, an interceptor missile must be able to follow the threat and get close enough to it to disable or destroy it. The main new challenge here is the ability to track the hypersonic missile continuously. This requires new types of sensors to detect hypersonic vehicles and new sensor platforms that are able to provide a complete picture of the hypersonic trajectory. As described, Golden Dome would use the sensors in a layered approach in which they are installed on a variety of platforms in multiple domains, including ground, sea, air and space. These various platforms would need to have different types of sensors that are specifically designed to track hypersonic threats in different phases of their flight paths. These defensive systems will also be designed to address weapons fired from space. Much of the infrastructure will be multipurpose and able to defend against a variety of missile types. In terms of time frame for deployment, it is important to note that Golden Dome will build from the long legacy of existing U.S. missile defense systems. Another important aspect of Golden Dome is that some of the new capabilities have been under active development for years. In some ways, Golden Dome represents the commitment to actually deploy systems for which considerable progress has already been made. Israel's Iron Dome air defense system has been described as the most effective system of its kind anywhere in the world. But even Iron Dome is not 100% effective, and it has also been overwhelmed on occasion by Hamas and others who fire very large numbers of inexpensive missiles and rockets at it. So it is unlikely that any missile defense system will ever provide 100% protection. The more important goal here is to achieve deterrence, similar to the stalemate in the Cold War with the Soviet Union that was based on nuclear weapons. All of the new weapons that Golden Dome will defend against are very expensive. The U.S. is trying to change the calculus in an opponent's thinking to the point where they will consider it not worth shooting their precious high-value missiles at the U.S. when they know there is a high probability of them not reaching their targets. That seems to me like a very aggressive timeline, but with multiple countries now operating hypersonic missiles, there is a real sense of urgency. Existing missile defense systems on the ground, at sea and in the air can be expanded to include new, more capable sensors. Satellite systems are beginning to be put in place for the space layer. Sensors have been developed to track the new missile threats. Putting all of this highly complex system together, however, is likely to take more than three years. At the same time, if the U.S. fully commits to Golden Dome, a significant amount of progress can be made in this time. President Trump is requesting a total budget for all defense spending of about $1 trillion in 2026. So, $25 billion to launch Golden Dome would represent only 2.5% of the total requested defense budget. Of course, that is still a lot of money, and a lot of other programs will need to be terminated to make it possible. But it is certainly financially achievable. Similar to Iron Dome, Golden Dome will consist of sensors and interceptor missiles but will be deployed over a much wider geographical region and for defense against a broader variety of threats in comparison with Iron Dome. A second-generation Golden Dome system in the future would likely use directed energy weapons such as high-energy lasers and high-power microwaves to destroy missiles. This approach would significantly increase the number of shots that defenders can take against ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Iain Boyd, University of Colorado Boulder Read more: China's hypersonic missiles threaten US power in the Pacific – an aerospace engineer explains how the weapons work and the unique threats they pose Israel's Iron Dome air defense system works well – here's how Hamas got around it Is Russia looking to put nukes in space? Doing so would undermine global stability and ignite an anti-satellite arms race Iain Boyd receives funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and Lockheed-Martin Corporation, a defense contractor that sells missile defense systems and could potentially benefit from the implementation of Golden Dome.
The Hill
20-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's ambitious plan for Golden Dome
The Big Story President Trump says his ambitious, multibillion-dollar Golden Dome missile defense shield would only cost $175 billion to build and be ready in less than three years. © The Hill, Greg Nash His announcement, made Tuesday in the Oval Office, defies earlier predictions for the price tag and timeline to field Golden Dome. Trump said the U.S. had officially selected the architecture for the system, an effort which will be led by Vice Chief of Space Operations Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein. The president also declared it would cost just $175 billion, far below previous estimates to develop, build and field the technology needed for system. In addition, he said it would be completed before his second term ends, in 'two and a half to three years' — an astounding pace. 'This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term. So we'll have it done in about three years,' Trump said. 'Once fully constructed, 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.' Trump added that Canada will be included in the effort. Golden Dome, first ordered by Trump in January, is poised to receive $25 billion to jump-start the purported missile defense system that would create a network of satellites to detect, track and potentially intercept incoming ballistic missiles. But that initial $25 billion, part of the GOP's reconciliation bill, remains uncertain as hard-line GOP conservatives and moderate Republicans on Tuesday continued to hold out on allowing the House to pass the legislation, demanding certain changes be made. Furthermore, $25 billion is just the tip of the iceberg in funding the system, which is estimated to cost the U.S. more than $500 billion over 20 years to develop, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The program's high price tag and advanced technology — much of which has yet to be developed or fielded — has already drawn political scrutiny and questions as to how it will be funded moving forward. It's likely that many early systems involved would come from existing production lines, with L3Harris, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon as potential contractors. Trump also repeatedly said the system will be entirely made in the U.S. Golden Dome also has been criticized as unnecessary, as the U.S. already protects itself from any potential incoming missiles via a network of systems such as radars and ground-based interceptors, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system and National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System, a short- to medium-range, ground-based air defense system. Asked whether military commanders had requested the system, Trump said he 'suggested it, and they all said, 'We love the idea, sir.'' Read the full report at Welcome to The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter, I'm Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads How policy will affect defense and national security now and inthe future: Trump takes foot off ceasefire push in Russia-Ukraine war President Trump stepped back from his demands for an immediate 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine following calls with Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday, instead suggesting Moscow and Kyiv should start negotiations over what broader peace talks might look like. 5 things to know as Trump rolls out Golden Dome missile defense shield President Trump on Tuesday held a White House event to hype his planned Golden Dome missile defense system, which he estimated would cost some $175 billion and be finished within three years. That timeline is far shorter than what experts have forecast, and they say the price tag could also be far higher. The GOP's 'big, beautiful bill' includes a proposed $25 billion to jump-start the missile defense system. … Senate Republican hints at Trump Qatar jet plans Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said Monday he's talked to Air Force officials about a plan to use the jet Qatar gifted to President Trump as a helpful transition from the old Boeing 747 jet to the upgraded aircraft. 'If we can show the American people that there was a method and a reason why it is beneficial, in terms of this transition, I think that will help a lot,' Rounds said in an interview on CNN's 'The Source,' sidestepping … On Our Radar Upcoming things we're watching on our beat: In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Migrants deported to South Sudan in violation of court order, attorneys say Immigration attorneys on Tuesday alleged the Trump administration deported to South Sudan a group of migrants who are not from the war-torn country, in violation of a court order. U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, an appointee of former President Biden who serves in Boston, previously … On Tap Tomorrow Events in and around the defense world: What We're Reading News we've flagged from other outlets: Trending Today Two key stories on The Hill right now: Senate unanimously approves bill to eliminate tax on tips The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would eliminate federal taxes on tips, advancing with the help of Democrats a top campaign promise of President … Read more Nearly 80 more Big Lots stores to reopen in June: Here's where More than 100 Big Lots stores have reopened this year. Now, 80 more are preparing to reopen soon. Read more Opinion in The Hill Op-ed related to defense & national security submitted to The Hill: Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
