US Plans First Test of Golden Dome Missile Defense System in 2028 — CNN

The Pentagon is preparing to conduct the first test of the Golden Dome missile defense system in late 2028 — coinciding with the next U.S. presidential election, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources.

The planned test aligns with President Donald Trump’s pledge to establish a nationwide missile shield before the end of his term.

One defense official told CNN that the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) intends to designate the trial as FTI-X, short for “Flight Test Integrated.” The exercise would combine Golden Dome’s sensors and interceptors into a unified system capable of countering large-scale missile threats.

The three-year timeline is considered ambitious, given decades of U.S. research into intercepting missile barrages in space. A defense official noted the program remained a complex issue, technically very risky, partly due to the scale of satellite coverage required to defend the continental U.S.

Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, appointed by Trump in May to lead the initiative, recently addressed the challenges at a space industry summit:

“I think the real technical challenge will be building of the space-based interceptor,” Guetlein said. “That technology exists, I believe. I believe we have proven every element of the physics, that we can make it work. What we have not proven is, first, can I do it economically, and then second, can I do it at scale? Can I build enough satellites to get after the threat? Can I expand the industrial base fast enough to build those satellites?”

According to another source, the 2028 trial may be just ‘phase one.’ The project is accelerating, leveraging existing systems to demonstrate that a global missile shield merits further investment.

Some of the required technologies are already undergoing tests. Northrop Grumman Corporation CEO Kathy Warden said during a quarterly earnings call that the company had begun testing space-based interceptors.

Last month, the Pentagon announced that the MDA had successfully tested a long-range radar system from Lockheed Martin in Alaska, intended to track ballistic missiles over vast distances, including across Russian and Chinese territory. The radar is expected to become a critical component of Golden Dome.

Still, defense contractors and companies vying to join the program are awaiting a formal outline of the system’s overall architecture. The Space Force is expected to release the initial framework soon — the agency’s leadership was given 60 days in late May to define the structure and 120 days to submit an implementation plan.

CNN noted that the pace of development had raised concerns in parts of the defense sector.

“In the end, a lot of money could be spent trying to make this work, and then it might not even meet testing requirements or do what they want it to do.”

CNN also reported that the Pentagon had moved to cut the Office of the Director Operational Test and Evaluation shortly after it had announced plans to oversee the Golden Dome test program — a little-known agency tasked with evaluating the MDA’s test strategies.