Latest news with #MissileDefenseProject
CNBC
10 hours ago
- Business
- CNBC
Investing in Space: Iron Dome's performance could be Golden Dome's opportunity
Israel and Iran resumed fire exchanges at the end of last week, and space and defense enthusiasts have been following the fusillades. Front and center has been the use of drones in this new leg of the conflict and the health of Israel's infamous Iron Dome missile defense system, as it fought off a barrage of drones and missiles. There's an inevitable connection: the Iron Dome's currently doing the job in Israel that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to get done at home through the proposed Golden Dome multi-layered missile defense system — a costly $175 billion concept so cutting edge that lawmakers and analysts have often questioned its viability. On one hand, you have the Congressional Budget Office warning that the project could cost as much as $542 billion. On the other, space and defense companies are chomping at the bit to fast-track Trump's ambitions from executively ordered vision to satellite-touting reality before the 2029 end of his term. "The performance of Israel's multi-tiered missile defense system underscores the urgent need to strengthen U.S. missile defenses. Thus far, Israeli missile defense inventories have kept up with the Iranian threat — buying decisionmakers valuable time to not just defend the goal but to score some," Patrycja Bazylczyk, research associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, told CNBC by email. "U.S. policymakers should view this as a nod towards the importance of building inventories well before the fight, in the event of a missile attack from either Russia or China, we will be facing far more complex, and numerous salvos," she added. Like a Hollywood revenant, Golden Dome rose from the ashes of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative — nicknamed "Star Wars" — that died a long death to a string of arguments over tech obstacles, steep price tags and the potential to kick off a new arms race with the Soviet Union. Unsurprisingly, Russia and China have been the starkest foreign detractors of Golden Dome, which sets out to defend the vast spread of the U.S. homeland from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles through a web of satellites, sensors and interceptors. The timing isn't ideal — both superpowers doth protest too much at a point when the major arms control deal between Washington and Moscow, the New START treaty, is set to lapse next year without a successor, while U.S. talks on a similar topic with Beijing were suspended in 2024. Within the industry, Golden Dome looks like a mighty fine bone thrown to private space companies faced with severe budget cuts at key U.S. space contractor NASA. For the past few months, defense and space businesses have been vying for a slice of the project's pie, especially after Elon Musk's recent public feud with Trump left SpaceX's potential role in the scheme under question. Take a look at the Paris Air Show — a sprawling affair enveloping Le Bourget Airport in the northeast of the French capital every two years. Around 45% of this year's show is offering a stage to defense and security this year, and the likes of U.S. defense and aerospace manufacturer LockHeed Martin and Boeing used the platform to tout their Golden Dome credentials. "We clearly have a whole number of product lines that will contribute very well, that are going to fit very well with what is necessary to achieve the mission," Lockheed Martin President of Missiles and Fire Control Tim Cahill said, according to Reuters. Golden Dome's progressing, but time will tell if it's here to stay. On June 10, two Republican members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Dale W. Strong (AL-05) and Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) announced the formation of a Golden Dome Caucus that will work closely with the Senate's own initiative, in a bid to back Trump's plans. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the draft of its fiscal 2026 defense spending bill that features a cool $831.5 billion top spend line — and a $13 billion allocation for "missile defense and space programs to augment and integrate in support of the Golden Dome effort." That's a respective $8.8 billion and $4.1 billion for missile defense and space programs backing the project, in the fine print. Don't worry, there's a deal to be had: Trump's reassured Canada it can skip a newly upped $71 billion fee to enjoy Golden Dome's benefits — if it just becomes part of the United States. Even better, Washington could end up a trendsetter across the Atlantic. "I don't know about the Golden Dome in the U.S. and so forth, but I do believe that we have to create an integrated … missile defense system, also in the European perspective, and there are initiatives going in that direction," Micael Johansson, CEO of Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab, told CNBC's Charlotte Reed at the Paris Air Show. "We have to have a European setup around that, and we have that capability with all the companies in Europe."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel has pushed the US to use its ‘bunker buster' bomb on Iran. Here's what the weapon can do
As President Donald Trump is warming to the idea of using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, officials and experts have suggested the US' 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility thought to be key to Tehran's nuclear program, which is carved into a mountain and extends deep underground. The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which has yet to be used operationally, is designed for 'reaching and destroying our adversaries' weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,' according to a fact sheet from the US Air Force. The weapon is a 30,000-pound bomb with 6,000 pounds of 'high explosives,' said Masao Dahlgren, a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project. It has 'really thick, hard shell,' Dahlgren explained, in order for the explosives to withstand the impact of the ground and penetrate to the depths it's intended to reach. 'There's the shell and there's the explosive in the fuse – the explosive needs to be robust enough to not detonate without being fused, the shell needs to be strong enough to go down that far and to hit that hard and to impart enough energy to even go down that far. And then the fuse needs to be hard enough to survive all that, and smart enough to know when to blow up,' Dahlgren said. 'It's a really complex program.' The exact size of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is unclear; CNN has reported that that its halls are estimated to be 80 to 90 meters underground. A UK-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute, said the MOP may not even be able to reach Fordow, saying in a recent report that it would 'likely require multiple impacts at the same aiming point to have a good chance of penetrating the facility.' Fordow could be at the 'the edge' of the MOP's capabilities with only one munition, said Dahlgren. Testing for the bomb began in 2004 amid the heightened concern about weapons of mass destruction, Dahlgren said. One of the factors that led to its development, he added, were studies that showed bombing a facility's entrance 'wouldn't generate enough blast pressure to destroy the entire facility.' 'Part of the need for these penetrators is really because it's hard to just bomb the entrances and get away with it,' Dahlgren said. 'You can temporarily slow the progress of a program but not fully destroy things that way.' In 2009, Boeing won the contract to integrate the weapons system with US aircraft. The Air Force's B-2 Spirit – a multi-role heavy bomber – is the only aircraft able to employ the bomb operationally. The B-2, made by Northrop Grumman, is the 'backbone of stealth technology,' according to the company. The aircraft flies out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and was first publicly displayed in November 1988. The US used B-2 bombers in 2024 to strike the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting underground weapons storage facilities. The bomber – flown by a two-man pilot crew – can fly approximately 6,000 nautical miles without being refueled, according to the Air Force. Its 'stealth' capabilities allow it to 'penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets,' the Air Force said. It's unclear how many of the munitions the US has in its inventory; in 2009, Boeing delivered 20 of them to the Air Force, which was current as of 2015. Dahlgren estimated there are roughly 30 munitions in the US arsenal.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Israel running low on air defence, missiles as tensions escalate with Iran
Concerns over the sustainability of Israel's defence system are rising as the country is reportedly running low on its defensive long-range missile interceptors, The Wall Street Journal reported. This comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, with both sides engaging in intense missile strikes and air raids for six consecutive days. The report, citing a US official, stated that concerns are now being raised over Israel's ability to defend itself from Iran's long-range ballistic missiles if the conflict does not end soon. The US has been aware of the capacity problems for months and has been strengthening Israel's defence systems on the ground, at sea, and in the air, the report states. The Pentagon has sent more missile defence assets to Israel since its latest escalation with Israel. However, concerns have now surfaced about the US' depleting stock of interceptors. Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, "Neither the US nor the Israelis can continue to sit and intercept missiles all day." "The Israelis and their friends need to move with all deliberate haste to do whatever needs to be done, because we cannot afford to sit and play catch,' he added. Israel-Iran conflict On June 13, Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' against Iran, targeting nuclear sites in its capital city Tehran. After Israel's military strikes killed several Iranian leaders, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami, Iran retaliated and launched military strikes targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump asked Iran for "unconditional surrender" and claimed that the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, adding that even though he is an "easy target, he won't be killed just now". Khamenei responded by issuing a warning to Israel. "The battle begins," Khamenei said, adding Ali returns to Khaybar — a reference to the 7th-century conquest of the Jewish town of Khaybar by the first imam of Shia Islam.
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Israel running low on missile interceptors as conflict with Iran continues: Report
Israel is running low on the defensive Arrow interceptors, according to a report in Wall Street Journal that cited an unnamed US official, raising concerns about Israel's ability to counter long-range ballistic missiles from Iran if the conflict continues. The report also claimed that US has been aware of the capacity of problems for months and Washington has been augmenting Israel's defenses with systems on the ground, at sea and in the air. The report also stated that since the escalation of conflict in June, Pentagon has sent missile defense assets in the region. However now there is a concern that US is also burning through their supply of interceptrs as well. Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that neither the US nor Israel can 'continue to sit and intercept missiles all day.' He also said that Israel and his allies need to move with haste to do whatever needs to be done, and that they 'cannot afford to sit and play catch. Meanwhile, Israel Aerospace Industries, the company that makes Arrow interceptors, did not respond requests about comments on the matter. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that, ' IDF is prepared and ready to handle any scenario. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on matters related to munitions.' The Arrow missile defence system, comprises of Arrow-2 and Arrow-3. This system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles beyond the earth's atmosphere. It employs a detachable warhead that collides with its target, neutralising potential threats before they can reach populated areas. The other layers of Israel's defense system include David's Sling, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. The US Army also has similar defense systems as Israel, it has the Patriot PAC-3 (comparable to David's Sling) and THAAD (comparable to Arrow 2), while the US Navy has the Aegis and the SM-3 (comparable to Arrow 3).
Vancouver Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Why are Iranian missiles hitting Israel? What to know about Iron Dome and other defence systems
It's not just the so-called Iron Dome that's protecting Israel from hundreds of Iranian missiles. The term Iron Dome has become 'a stand-in for Israeli missile defence more broadly; so, it's kind of like how we use Kleenex to describe every type of facial tissue,' said Wes Rumbaugh, a fellow in the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Defence systems known as David's Sling and The Arrow are also both helping Israel to intercept and destroy long-range missiles fired from Iran. But even Israel's vaunted missile defence system can't stop everything. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The Iranian missile attacks began June 13 after Israel launched what it called a pre-emptive strike to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Operation Rising Lion targeted Iranian nuclear sites and military installations, killing hundreds, including several of the country's top military leaders. 'Iran retaliated by firing waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions flared in the skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below,' the Associated Press reported Saturday. The Jerusalem Post reported Monday that the Israeli Defence Force 'provided its first statistics of the war on its shoot down success against Iran's ballistic missiles, setting it at 80-90 per cent, with only about 5-10 per cent of ballistic missiles hitting actual residential areas.' Per the Post, 'eight more Israeli civilians were killed in Iran's Sunday-Monday middle-of-the-night attacks, bringing the total number of deaths to 24, with one more missing person expected to be declared dead in the coming hours.' Here's what we know about Israel's missile defence systems, including how they work and why some missiles are still getting through. Israel fields three tiers of missile defence systems, Rumbaugh said. 'At the lowest tier is Iron Dome, which has gotten more popularity just because it gets used a lot more often against rocket and maybe lower-tier cruise missile attacks. Every time that Hamas shoots rockets at Israel, that's where Iron Dome comes in.' Recent exchanges with Iran 'are more illustrative of some of the higher tier systems — that's The Arrow missile defence system or the David's Sling missile defence system,' he said. 'Those systems intercept longer range missiles coming from Iranian territory. The Arrow system intercepts them' outside of the earth's atmosphere, Rumbaugh said. 'When it comes to missile defence systems, all of them work in a similar way,' Rumbaugh said. They all have radar systems that detect the incoming threat, some sort of control system that manages data coming in from all the various sensors 'that allows them to form a track and then translate that information to a watcher system that then engages the threat,' he said. 'In all of these cases, the engagement system is a surface-to-air missile that goes up and intercepts the threat through kinetic energy.' It reportedly costs about $50,000 to fire one interceptor from the Iron Dome system, and each missile fired from the other two would likely cost more than that, Rumbaugh said. Rumbaugh noted that the U.S. contributes about $500 million a year toward Israel's missile defence. 'Right now, I think you're getting a lot of engagements for, most likely, The Arrow system,' he said, noting Germany is acquiring the Israeli-developed system for its own protection. 'We're seeing long-range missiles fired from Iranian territory to Israel, and so to engage those at the higher speeds, you want to engage them a little bit farther away.' The further a missile travels, the faster it will be moving 'because it goes up to a higher apogee and then is coming down at a quicker rate, and so you need an interceptor that is just a little bit more capable. The Iron Dome is designed to be able to intercept smaller rocket systems like the Katyusha rockets that Hamas fields.' While the Iron Dome isn't much use against long-range missiles, it would be capable of defending against Iranian drone attacks, Rumbaugh pointed out. 'It is far too soon to have a conclusive assessment of effectiveness of the systems,' he said. 'We saw multiple examples of reasonable effectiveness of Israeli missile defence systems against Iranian attack last year. The question going forward … will be just when do the inventories start to deplete of interceptor missiles? There's not an infinite supply of these capabilities.' There are also reports, he said, of the U.S. Navy intercepting Iranian missiles with their Standard Missile 3, a ship-based surface-to-air missile. It's difficult to determine 'from grainy Twitter videos' what Iranian missiles are getting through to Israel, he said. 'There's no such thing as a perfect air and missile defence system,' Rumbaugh said. 'It's not going to stop every single missile…. Because it's just a very technical, challenging mission set, it's going to be a challenge to have a perfect defence. And as inventories sort of deplete, Israel is going to have to get more choosy and will have to make more difficult decisions about its interceptor usage and it's going to have to prioritize certain target sets or certain areas for defence over others.' Some Israeli citizens might be surprised to see missiles making it through the country's defences, Rumbaugh said. 'But I think the Israeli military probably knew and would have … factored into its decision to launch these strikes that at least some are going to get through. Even when Iron Dome is defending against rocket attacks, some of those rockets get through and, to some degree, that's occasionally a decision of the system.' If the Iron Dome detects a missile or a rocket 'isn't going toward a highly populated area, they'll preserve interceptors by not engaging that particular missile,' Rumbaugh said. The Israeli defence establishment is obliged to let the public know about casualties and what they can expect in terms of missile attacks, he said. 'The Israeli public does not want to live near their bomb shelters for an indefinite period of time,' Rumbaugh said. Rumbaugh couldn't say when Israel will run out of interceptors. 'Those sorts of inventory numbers are pretty tightly held secrets for a reason. You don't want to say how many missiles it takes to exhaust your inventory' because that would help Iran plan its attacks, Rumbaugh said. Though he noted Israel has 'managed to make the defensive task more tractable with some of their efforts to destroy Iranian missile production bases as well as destroying Iranian missiles and launchers through some of their air strikes.' But it's 'difficult to get them all,' he said. 'Both the United States and Israel have tried to eliminate the Houthis' abilities to launch missiles in the Red Sea over the last couple of years with limited success.' This is likely 'the most sustained and long-term defence' Israel has mounted against ballistic missiles, Rumbaugh said. 'They've dealt with periods where there has been lots of rocket fire from Hamas and other groups in the area,' including Hezbollah, he said. Those might have involved deploying more interceptors, Rumbaugh said. 'But the technical sophistication of the long-range missiles that Iran is firing, combined with the period over which Israel is having to defend (itself) over multiple days,' means this has been one of the 'longer range air and missile defence engagements that Israel has seen.' Israeli air bases are likely on Iran's top list of targets, he said. 'They probably need to disrupt Israeli air operations as much as possible, considering that those are what are delivering the majority of the weapons on Iranian territory right now that are destroying some of the nuclear infrastructure and are being used to carry out the attacks on Iranian military leadership,' Rumbaugh said. 'But then as the (supply of) Iranian missiles gets lower and lower, do you start to shift your focus toward civilian areas to sort of start inflicting punishment on civilian areas in an attempt to create pressure on the Israeli government to stop becomes one of the considerations that Iran's leadership has to make.' Israel hasn't been able to hit some Iranian nuclear facilities 'because they're buried deep in the mountains and they would need certain munitions types that they don't have and that the United States fields in terms of the massive ordnance penetrator type weapons,' known as Bunker Busters, Rumbaugh said. 'But is the goal to entirely roll back Iran's civilian nuclear industry? Or is Israel's goal to weaken (and) reduce the capacity of Iran's missile capabilities?' He questions whether regime change in Iran is the goal of Israeli air strikes. 'I'm not seeing Israel being able to mobilize the sort of ground forces they would need to impose regime change militarily, so will air strikes be sufficient is sort of an unclear picture for me.' Israel has said this could be a 'multi-week' set of operations, according to Rumbaugh. 'So, we might just be at the start of this.'
