SkyDefender, the dome that could protect Europe
With a view to defending Europe against potential aerial threats, Belgium is contributing to the project being developed by Thales.
Just like Israel’s Iron Dome or the United States’ Golden Dome project, Europe also aims to create its own shield to protect against all types of airborne threats. Together with the Thales group, Belgium is participating in the development of this fully European dome, named SkyDefender. This defence system, which relies on a network of sensors deployed at sea, in the air, on the ground and in space, would, according to its designers, be exceptionally effective.
Its main advantage lies in its ability to detect threats up to 5,000 km away, allowing any attack to be anticipated in time, whether it involves hypersonic missiles or swarms of drones.
As soon as a threat is detected by radars and satellites and transmitted to a “centralised brain” (SkyView), the most appropriate response is determined: the launch of very expensive missiles, or much cheaper projectiles, to counter a potential attack. The Belgian defensive rockets, produced in a factory in the Liège region, are said to be among the most effective for neutralising possible drone swarms.
The future of European defence could therefore be, at least in part, Belgian!