#missile-defense

#missile-defense

The Defense Department is notoriously picky about films that depict military and national-security issues, and understandably so. Many movies that feature the military get a lot of things wrong, including innocent flaws such as actors who are the wrong age for the rank on their costume, or scripts that invent procedures or terms that don't exist. Sometimes, the Defense Department cooperates with Hollywood and provides advice; other times, it takes a pass, especially if the subject raises touchy issues.

The fictional interceptors in the movie miss their target and we understand this is intended to be a compelling part of the drama intended for the entertainment of the audience, but results from real-world testing tell a vastly different story. The memo added that the US's missile interceptors have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade. Yet external agencies have disputed this claim.

The numbers necessary to achieve this kind of muscular defense are staggering: 85,400 space-based interceptors, 14,510 new air-launched interceptors, 46,904 more surface-launched interceptors, hundreds of new sensors on land, in the air, at sea, and in space to detect incoming threats, and more than 20,000 additional military personnel. No one has placed missile interceptors in space before, and it will require thousands of them to meet even the most basic goals for Golden Dome.

Over the last 60 years, the United States has spent more than $350 billion on efforts to develop a defense against nuclear-armed ICBMs. This effort has been plagued by false starts and failures, and none have yet been demonstrated to be effective against a real-world threat.

Qatar's air defenses successfully intercepted Iranian missiles targeting a US military base on Monday, showcasing its advanced capabilities alongside US-operated systems.

Losing the Golden Dome contract, a defense system valued by experts as a whopping $175 billion total, could be a major setback for Musk's space firm.

"The Manhattan Project element of this is just simply the scale. The technologies exist, the integration strategies we've demonstrated, they are available. It's really, how do you scale this?"

The Golden Dome missile defense program is set to be operational in phases, with initial focus on integrating data systems and establishing a communication network.

Well, they're wrong. It's about as close to perfect as you can have in terms of real production.

Missile defense systems are evolving rapidly but struggle to keep pace with the advancements in hypersonic missile technology, posing challenges to national security.