The Pentagon successfully tested the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) in Alaska on Monday (June 23rd), which can detect missile threats from China or Russia. LRDR is considered as the foundation system of the U.S. “Golden Dome” missile defense system.
On Tuesday (June 24th), the Pentagon stated that LRDR successfully acquired, tracked, and reported missile target data during the test. These are all key missions of the “Golden Dome” defense system.
The long-range radar in central Alaska, built by Lockheed Martin, is part of the existing Ground-based Midcourse Defense missile defense system. The system aims to enhance the effectiveness of interceptors deployed in Alaska and California, which are currently on standby ready to shoot down incoming missiles.
The U.S. Missile Defense Agency, in collaboration with the U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Northern Command, conducted the test on Monday at the Clear Space Force Station in Alaska. This was the first time LRDR tracked a target similar to an intercontinental ballistic missile.
The Northern Command has been eagerly awaiting the deployment of LRDR, seeing it as a critical capability to defend the U.S. homeland. The primary goal of the S-band radar is to differentiate between intercontinental ballistic missiles launched by adversarial nations towards the U.S. and decoys or other harmless objects moving in space. LRDR can also better monitor hypersonic missiles.
In Monday’s test, a target developed by the Missile Defense Agency was launched from the skies over the North Pacific, flying over 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles), and was tracked by the LRDR at the Clear Space Force Station and an upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR).
In addition to supporting missile defense, LRDR will also track objects in space, providing space domain awareness – another key capability of the “Golden Dome” project.
In May, U.S. President Trump announced the design plans for the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, triggering anxiety and dissatisfaction from China.
This is a $175 billion missile defense program aimed at protecting the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missile attacks. The “Golden Dome” system is seen as the most ambitious anti-missile system since the Cold War, designed to defend against the “next-generation aerial threats” from China and Russia.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning claimed in May that “Golden Dome” is highly offensive, violating the principles of peaceful use of outer space in the Outer Space Treaty, and poses a risk of sparking a space arms race.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth later refuted China’s claims in an interview with Fox Digital News, stating that “Golden Dome” will turn space into a “battlefield”. “Our only concern is defending the homeland,” Hegseth said at the time.
He emphasized that the “Golden Dome” project aims to protect the U.S. from emerging missile threats, not to escalate conflicts.
The “Golden Dome” missile defense system aims to establish a satellite network for detecting, tracking, and intercepting incoming missiles.
(This article referenced reports from Reuters and the U.S. military website Breaking Defense)