The U.S. military for the first time publicly confirmed that the country now has space-based “space control weapons” in orbit, and that the “Iron Dome” space-based interceptor project has advanced to the “flight-ready hardware” stage.

U.S. Air Force Secretary Troy M. (Troy Meinke) said on Monday: “The United States now has in-orbit space control weapons that can protect U.S. forces from attacks by hostile forces,” adding, “From a deterrence standpoint, this is important.” Meinke did not specify the type of the space-based weapon. Reports said this was the first time the U.S. acknowledged that it has “offensive capabilities” in space.

On Tuesday, Douglas Hiss, commander of the U.S. Space Force, further confirmed that soldiers of the space forces have been operating “in-orbit weapons capable of withstanding attacks in space.” Richard Palmer, director of the Space Command’s office for capabilities and resources integration, also said on Tuesday that the public disclosure of these capabilities is intended to deter adversaries while demonstrating that the United States is prepared to respond. Palmer said, “Our joint forces and our allies need space, and our economy needs space. The United States is ready to uphold this.”

On Monday, Meinke revealed that the “Iron Dome” space-based interceptor project “advanced from the initial contract stage to flight-ready hardware in less than a year.”

According to reports, in May last year, U.S. President Donald Trump issued a development plan for the “Iron Dome” missile defense system. Trump said that “Iron Dome” would be integrated with the United States’ existing missile defense capabilities, and once fully built, it could intercept missiles launched from other places in the world and even from space. The entire system is expected to cost about $175 billion (USD), and is planned to be “fully operational” within three years.

————————————————————————
$Space concept stocks
$SPCX.US


$LMT.US

$RTX.US