Trump's 'Golden Dome' will cost $1.2tn and might not stop all-out missile attack

Donald Trump's "Golden Dome" missile defence system will cost about $1.2tn to develop, deploy and operate over two decades, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That figure is significantly higher than the initial sum of $175bn that had been earmarked. The acquisition costs alone would be over $1tn, including for the interceptor layers and a space-based missile warning and tracking system.

The CBO report warned the Golden Dome could be vulnerable to a full-scale attack by Russia or China. Trump unveiled plans for the system in January, aimed at countering "next-generation" aerial threats. He said last year that the programme would require an initial investment of $25bn, with a total cost of $175bn over time. Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley said: "The President's so-called 'Golden Dome' is nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans."

SpaceX and Lockheed Martin last month won contracts worth up to $3.2bn to develop space-based missile interceptor prototypes for the system. The BBC contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.