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The Pentagon has presented US President Donald Trump with a range of options to develop a "Golden Dome" air and missile defence system that would cost hundreds of billions of dollars, according to a new report.
Trump is set to announce his preferred plan and its price tag in the coming days, a move that will shape how the US proceeds with funding and building the high-tech system over the coming years, CNN reported on Monday, citing multiple sources familiar with the plans.
The Department of Defense has already allocated $25 billion in next year's defence budget, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates the full cost of developing a "viable Golden Dome" could exceed $500 billion over two decades, according to the report.
The system, which draws inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome, would rely heavily on private contractors, with companies like SpaceX, Anduril, and Palantir already making direct pitches to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the report said.
The Defense Department has confirmed that the agency presented the president with options.
"The Secretary of Defense and other Department leaders have engaged with the President to present options and look forward to announcing the path forward in the coming days," Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser Sean Parnell was quoted as saying.
According to Reuters news agency, the companies have pitched a proposal to deploy hundreds of satellites that would detect and track missile threats from space. The bid is reportedly being reviewed by top Pentagon and White House officials and could shape a key part of the multilayered system envisioned by the administration.
More than 180 companies have submitted bids to work on the Golden Dome system, according to the AP news agency, including legacy defence firms like Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, and RTX.
In January 2025, Trump instructed the military to plan the "Golden Dome", a space-based missile defence capable of destroying missiles rapidly.
The project, initially dubbed "Iron Dome", was renamed in February, according to the Associated Press. Israel's Iron Dome intercepts short-range rockets.
Trump's "Golden Dome" aims to deploy space-based interceptors, neutralising long-range missiles. If realised, the US would orbit missile interceptors for the first time.
Project costs
Lieutenant General Robert Rasch stated at a Senate hearing recently that an integrated air and missile defence system for Guam would cost roughly $8 billion.
The funds would cover sensor and launcher placement, plus the command systems linking them.
Senator Angus King estimated a cost based on Rasch's $8 billion figure, applying it to 779 US cities with populations matching or exceeding Guam's.
His estimate suggests a "Golden Dome" across America would cost $6.2 trillion.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates space-based interceptor systems could cost between $264 billion and $831 billion for constellations of 1,300 to 2,000 interceptors, with launch costs alone reaching $116 billion to $335 billion (in 2025 dollars).
It was noted that the Golden Dome might need a larger design to tackle threats from North Korea, China and Russia, potentially increasing costs.
Official cost estimates for the defence system are pending, but it's likely to be in the tens or hundreds of billions, given the system's scale and complexity.
