Golden Dome cost estimate grows to $185B

Space Force General Michael Guetlein on Tuesday estimated the Golden Dome missile defense system will cost some $185 billion as the U.S. looks to “accelerate some space capabilities,” up nearly 50 percent from initial estimates.

President Trump originally slated $125 billion for the state-of-the-art defense system, inspired by Israel’s Iron Dome, and Congress has already approved $25 billion for the project.

Guetlein also forecasted the Golden Dome will be complete in 2035, six years after Trump’s original timeline. 

Guetlein said his team has discussed plans to add a space data network, an Advanced Missile Tracking Initiative and the Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, according to Reuters.

The add-ons would ramp-up the price tag but increase defense possibilities through precise tracking of incoming missiles and the ability to counter offensive strikes aimed at the U.S., he said.

“It’s not the technology — it’s the scalability and the affordability,” he said at McAleese Defense Programs Conference in Arlington, Va., according to Bloomberg. 

“Can we scale those solutions fast enough and affordable enough to be effective against the threat is really where the challenge is going to be,” he added.

Nine companies, including Lockheed Martin, RTX, Northrop Grumman, AeroVironment, Palantir, Firefly Aerospace, Anduril and Blue Origin, are involved in the project so far. 

The companies brief Guetlein every week and can vote out member companies based upon performance, Reuters reported.