Russian News
MISSILE DEFENSE
Russia slams Trump plan for 'Star Wars' missile shield
Russia slams Trump plan for 'Star Wars' missile shield
by AFP Staff Writers
Moscow (AFP) Jan 31, 2025

Russia on Friday criticised President Donald Trump's plan to build a "Star Wars"-like missile shield for the United States, saying it risked turning space into an arena of "confrontation".

In an executive order on Monday, Trump called for the creation of an "Iron Dome for America" to counter ballistic and hypersonic missile threats, reviving parts of a controversial Reagan-era plan nicknamed "Star Wars" that would have placed missile interceptors in space.

"We regard this as yet another confirmation of the US intent to turn space into an arena of armed confrontation and to deploy weapons there," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.

Zakharova said the plan would expand Washington's missile deterrence to a scale "comparable to Reagan's Star Wars", which she called "odious".

She said the move was primarily aimed at "devaluing Russian and Chinese strategic deterrence capabilities".

"To put it mildly, these US approaches will not contribute to reducing tensions," she said.

The "Iron Dome" in Trump's decree refers to a highly successful system employed by Israel to down short-range rockets.

Washington faces various missile threats from adversaries, but they differ significantly from the short-range weapons that Israel's Iron Dome is designed to counter.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last year unveiled a new hypersonic missile nicknamed "Oreshnik", a weapon that experts believe flies at 10 times the speed of sound.

The United States said in its 2022 National Defense Strategy that Beijing is also closing the gap with Washington when it comes to ballistic and hypersonic missile technology.

Both Moscow and Washington have traded accusations of weaponising space in recent years.

The United States accused Russia last May of deploying a "space weapon" into the same orbit as a US satellite.

Related Links
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
MISSILE DEFENSE
Teledyne Brown Engineering Completes Successful Launch of Black Dagger Zombie Target Missile
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 30, 2025
Teledyne Brown Engineering, under the direction of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC) Technical Center's Targets Division at Redstone Arsenal, achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of a Black Dagger Zombie target missile in November 2024. During the test at White Sands Missile Range, the U.S. Army successfully tracked the missile using the Lower-Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar. The data gathered from this tracking was then utilized by ... read more

MISSILE DEFENSE
Japan, US ministers express 'firm intent' to reinforce defence alliance

Trump trade threats overshadow European defence meet

Eyeing Trump and Putin, EU, UK, NATO leaders talk defence

Starmer to urge Europe to 'bear down' on Putin at landmark talks

MISSILE DEFENSE
Trump reinstates 'maximum pressure' campaign on Iran

Iran Guards unveil underground missile facility for naval warfare

North Korea 'Kim Jong Il' birthday tours to open: tour agency

Iran says ready for nuclear talks if West is 'serious'

MISSILE DEFENSE
Astronaut insights from mid mission aboard Tiangong

China launches additional satellites for Spacesail Constellation

Shenzhou XIX crew completes second spacewalk mission

Shenzhou XIX crew completes second spacewalk

MISSILE DEFENSE
Australia expresses 'serious concerns' for writer jailed in China

US charges former Fed official with spying for China

Viral Chinese tourist spot stokes nostalgia with staged rural scenes

China travel peaks as millions head home for Lunar New Year

MISSILE DEFENSE
Advancing safer lithium energy storage

Research update: Generating electricity from tacky tape

Scientists Probe Declining Earbud Battery Longevity

DGIST Unveils Motion Powered System for Both Electricity and Light

MISSILE DEFENSE
MISSILE DEFENSE
Mobix Labs Secures Defense Funding to Advance SATCOM SoC Innovation

ESA and Hisdesat prepare to launch advanced secure communications satellite

SpaceX set to launch Hisdesat's SpainSat NG I satellite on January 28

Controversy in Italy over potential deal with Musk's SpaceX

MISSILE DEFENSE
US pledges $117 mn in aid to Lebanon military

Spain pledges 10 million euros for Lebanon army

Swiss to mull conscripting women

US. unveils $500M in military aid at final Ukraine defense summit before Trump takes office

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.