The project of the American missile defense system "Golden Dome" will not be completed by the end of Donald Trump's presidency, writes the newspaper The Guardian, citing its sources.
According to them, by 2028, when according to the American leader the system should be fully operational, and will be ready only for demonstrations.
According to the sources of the publication, as a first step the Pentagon intends to focus on "data systems integration" and then develop space weapons. It is noted that the United States will be able to create a base for a working system capable to track hundreds of missiles as they approach the United States, but without destroying them, within the next year and a half.
Sources in the Department of Defense suggest that by the end of Trump's term, the department will only have a network of space-based sensors and communications equipment, which it will try to combine with space-based weapons. The newspaper writes that the final cost of the system may differ from what Trump announced and will depend on the president's “ambitious“ plan.
According to The Guardian, Canada's participation in the project was discussed at the Pentagon from the very beginning, but from the point of view of its ability to provide the United States with its satellite and radar data.
On May 28, Trump said that Canada would not pay for the “Golden Dome“ missile defense system if it decided to join the United States. Otherwise, according to the president of the United States, participation in the project will cost Ottawa $62 billion.
On May 20, Trump announced that the United States had made a decision on the structure of its missile defense system “Golden Dome“. He noted that the creation of the system will take a little less than three years. The Washington administration proposes to allocate about $175 billion for this.