Honor of Kings Launches HOK Studio and Esports Qualifier in India
After its recent launch, Honor of Kings is now doubling down on the market with a two-pronged strategy. First, build a creator ecosystem, then strengthen its esports pathway. For this, the game has announced the rollout of HOK Studio, alongside the King’s Arise India: KWC at EWC26 Qualifier. Here’s everything you need to know.
HOK Studio to Boost Creator Ecosystem
At the center of this push is HOK Studio, the game’s official creator platform designed to support content creators across formats. This includes short videos, livestreams, tutorials, esports coverage, and more. As part of its initial phase in India, HOK Studio will introduce a Content Creator Incentive Program with rewards exceeding ₹1 crore (₹10 million). Creators can also get access to in-game tokens, exclusive rewards, official promotional support, and even early access to new content.
Dean Huang, the game’s producer, said:
India is a key market for Honor of Kings, and our focus is on building a strong, localised ecosystem that goes beyond gameplay. With HOK Studio, we are committed to developing a program worth an initial ₹10 million, to empower creators who play a critical role in shaping how the game is experienced and shared. At the same time, through initiatives like the KWC at EWC26 Qualifier, we are creating opportunities for Indian players to compete at the highest global level. Together, these efforts reflect our long-term commitment to growing both the creator and competitive ecosystems in India.
EWC Qualifier
Alongside creators, the game is also focusing heavily on competitive play. The King’s Arise India: KWC at EWC26 Qualifier will act as a structured pathway for Indian teams to reach the global stage. Registration for the tournament will run from April 19 to April 26, followed by open qualifiers, playoffs, and offline finals on May 17. The tournament features a prize pool of ₹5 lakh and will eventually select two teams to represent India at the global KWC event, where the total prize pool stands at $3 million.
The competition will follow global formats like Global Ban & Pick, which prevents teams from reusing heroes across matches, and a Bo7 Grand Final with an “Ultimate Battle” tiebreaker. These formats are designed to test strategy, adaptability, and team coordination at the highest level.
After its recent launch, Honor of Kings is now doubling down on the market with a two-pronged strategy. First, build a creator ecosystem, then strengthen its esports pathway. For this, the game has announced the rollout of HOK Studio, alongside the King’s Arise India: KWC at EWC26 Qualifier. Here’s everything you need to know.
HOK Studio to Boost Creator Ecosystem
At the center of this push is HOK Studio, the game’s official creator platform designed to support content creators across formats. This includes short videos, livestreams, tutorials, esports coverage, and more. As part of its initial phase in India, HOK Studio will introduce a Content Creator Incentive Program with rewards exceeding ₹1 crore (₹10 million). Creators can also get access to in-game tokens, exclusive rewards, official promotional support, and even early access to new content.
Dean Huang, the game’s producer, said:
India is a key market for Honor of Kings, and our focus is on building a strong, localised ecosystem that goes beyond gameplay. With HOK Studio, we are committed to developing a program worth an initial ₹10 million, to empower creators who play a critical role in shaping how the game is experienced and shared. At the same time, through initiatives like the KWC at EWC26 Qualifier, we are creating opportunities for Indian players to compete at the highest global level. Together, these efforts reflect our long-term commitment to growing both the creator and competitive ecosystems in India.
EWC Qualifier
Alongside creators, the game is also focusing heavily on competitive play. The King’s Arise India: KWC at EWC26 Qualifier will act as a structured pathway for Indian teams to reach the global stage. Registration for the tournament will run from April 19 to April 26, followed by open qualifiers, playoffs, and offline finals on May 17. The tournament features a prize pool of ₹5 lakh and will eventually select two teams to represent India at the global KWC event, where the total prize pool stands at $3 million.
The competition will follow global formats like Global Ban & Pick, which prevents teams from reusing heroes across matches, and a Bo7 Grand Final with an “Ultimate Battle” tiebreaker. These formats are designed to test strategy, adaptability, and team coordination at the highest level.
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#Honor #Kings #Launches #HOK #Studio #Esports #Qualifier #India
In a live-streamed product announcement on Wednesday, the company, known best for its collaborative note-taking app, introduced a new developer platform that extends the capabilities of its custom AI agents, connects with external agents, and allows teams to build automated multi-step workflows that can pull in data from any database.
By building an orchestration layer — a system that coordinates AI work across multiple tools and data sources — Notion is positioning itself as more than a note-taker with AI features and instead as a hub where people and agents can collaborate across tools and databases.
In February, Notion first launched its Custom Agents — AI teammates that handle repetitive tasks, like answering frequently asked questions, compiling status updates, and automating workflows. Since then, Notion customers have built over one million agents, the company says.
However, these agents had limitations. They couldn’t connect with external data or use custom logic. External agents that companies used also didn’t have a way to connect with the Notion workspace. Teams had to work around these problems by using third-party automation platforms or writing their own scripts that run on their own infrastructure.
“It’s true that, historically, Notion hasn’t been the most developer-focused platform,” said Ivan Zhao, Notion co-founder and CEO, during the livestream. “But things are changing.”
Image Credits:Notion
Now, Notion will allow teams to deploy their own custom code. With its new Workers, Notion’s cloud-based environment for running custom code, customers can write their logic and deploy it to a secure sandbox (an isolated environment that keeps the code from interfering with other systems). This allows teams to do things like sync their data into Notion, build custom tools, and trigger work with webhooks — which are automated signals that kick off actions when something happens in another app — without needing to rely on external infrastructure.
You don’t even have to write the code. The company points out that your preferred AI coding agent can do it for you.
The Workers will use the same credit system as Custom Agents, but Notion is making this free through August, so developers can experiment.
Syncing external data sources is also a part of the Notion Developer Platform. Powered by Workers, the database sync feature can pull in data from any database with an API. That means you could access data from places like Salesforce, Zendesk, Postgres, and others within your own Notion databases — and keep the data current.
Zhao noted that this means that Notion’s users can now “use your Notion database as a sheer canvas to power both your workflows and your agents.”
Image Credits:Notion
Workers can also build agent tools with custom logic, for those times when connecting with a third-party via MCP — short for Model Context Protocol, an emerging standard that lets AI tools connect to external data and services — isn’t enough.
Another addition allows Notion’s users to chat directly with external AI agents they use, assign them work, and track their progress, as if they were one of Notion’s own custom agents. At launch, Notion says that Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Decagon are supported partner agents, but it plans to add more.
There’s an External Agent API, too, if teams want to connect their own internal agents with Notion, like those they’ve built specifically for their company’s needs.
Image Credits:Notion
Developers and agents interact with Notion’s new Developer Platform via the Notion CLI, a command-line tool for developers, available on the company’s Business and Enterprise Plans.
The Developer Platform represents a shift in strategy for Notion as it becomes more of a programmable platform than just an application, setting it up to compete with other workflow automation platforms. As businesses increasingly look to automate knowledge work and build internal AI systems, a platform that ties together agents, custom code, and live data in one place starts to look less like a productivity app and more like core infrastructure.
It also follows the broader trend among AI companies, which have been moving beyond the AI chatbot to offer agentic tools that can take actions across different software platforms.
“Any data, any tool, any agent — that’s the big picture for the Notion Developer Platform,” Zhao said.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
In a live-streamed product announcement on Wednesday, the company, known best for its collaborative note-taking app, introduced a new developer platform that extends the capabilities of its custom AI agents, connects with external agents, and allows teams to build automated multi-step workflows that can pull in data from any database.
By building an orchestration layer — a system that coordinates AI work across multiple tools and data sources — Notion is positioning itself as more than a note-taker with AI features and instead as a hub where people and agents can collaborate across tools and databases.
In February, Notion first launched its Custom Agents — AI teammates that handle repetitive tasks, like answering frequently asked questions, compiling status updates, and automating workflows. Since then, Notion customers have built over one million agents, the company says.
However, these agents had limitations. They couldn’t connect with external data or use custom logic. External agents that companies used also didn’t have a way to connect with the Notion workspace. Teams had to work around these problems by using third-party automation platforms or writing their own scripts that run on their own infrastructure.
“It’s true that, historically, Notion hasn’t been the most developer-focused platform,” said Ivan Zhao, Notion co-founder and CEO, during the livestream. “But things are changing.”
Image Credits:Notion
Now, Notion will allow teams to deploy their own custom code. With its new Workers, Notion’s cloud-based environment for running custom code, customers can write their logic and deploy it to a secure sandbox (an isolated environment that keeps the code from interfering with other systems). This allows teams to do things like sync their data into Notion, build custom tools, and trigger work with webhooks — which are automated signals that kick off actions when something happens in another app — without needing to rely on external infrastructure.
You don’t even have to write the code. The company points out that your preferred AI coding agent can do it for you.
The Workers will use the same credit system as Custom Agents, but Notion is making this free through August, so developers can experiment.
Syncing external data sources is also a part of the Notion Developer Platform. Powered by Workers, the database sync feature can pull in data from any database with an API. That means you could access data from places like Salesforce, Zendesk, Postgres, and others within your own Notion databases — and keep the data current.
Zhao noted that this means that Notion’s users can now “use your Notion database as a sheer canvas to power both your workflows and your agents.”
Image Credits:Notion
Workers can also build agent tools with custom logic, for those times when connecting with a third-party via MCP — short for Model Context Protocol, an emerging standard that lets AI tools connect to external data and services — isn’t enough.
Another addition allows Notion’s users to chat directly with external AI agents they use, assign them work, and track their progress, as if they were one of Notion’s own custom agents. At launch, Notion says that Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Decagon are supported partner agents, but it plans to add more.
There’s an External Agent API, too, if teams want to connect their own internal agents with Notion, like those they’ve built specifically for their company’s needs.
Image Credits:Notion
Developers and agents interact with Notion’s new Developer Platform via the Notion CLI, a command-line tool for developers, available on the company’s Business and Enterprise Plans.
The Developer Platform represents a shift in strategy for Notion as it becomes more of a programmable platform than just an application, setting it up to compete with other workflow automation platforms. As businesses increasingly look to automate knowledge work and build internal AI systems, a platform that ties together agents, custom code, and live data in one place starts to look less like a productivity app and more like core infrastructure.
It also follows the broader trend among AI companies, which have been moving beyond the AI chatbot to offer agentic tools that can take actions across different software platforms.
“Any data, any tool, any agent — that’s the big picture for the Notion Developer Platform,” Zhao said.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
#Notion #turned #workspace #hub #agents #TechCrunchAI,AI agents,Notion">Notion just turned its workspace into a hub for AI agents | TechCrunch
Productivity software maker Notion is stepping into the agentic era.
In a live-streamed product announcement on Wednesday, the company, known best for its collaborative note-taking app, introduced a new developer platform that extends the capabilities of its custom AI agents, connects with external agents, and allows teams to build automated multi-step workflows that can pull in data from any database.
By building an orchestration layer — a system that coordinates AI work across multiple tools and data sources — Notion is positioning itself as more than a note-taker with AI features and instead as a hub where people and agents can collaborate across tools and databases.
In February, Notion first launched its Custom Agents — AI teammates that handle repetitive tasks, like answering frequently asked questions, compiling status updates, and automating workflows. Since then, Notion customers have built over one million agents, the company says.
However, these agents had limitations. They couldn’t connect with external data or use custom logic. External agents that companies used also didn’t have a way to connect with the Notion workspace. Teams had to work around these problems by using third-party automation platforms or writing their own scripts that run on their own infrastructure.
“It’s true that, historically, Notion hasn’t been the most developer-focused platform,” said Ivan Zhao, Notion co-founder and CEO, during the livestream. “But things are changing.”
Image Credits:Notion
Now, Notion will allow teams to deploy their own custom code. With its new Workers, Notion’s cloud-based environment for running custom code, customers can write their logic and deploy it to a secure sandbox (an isolated environment that keeps the code from interfering with other systems). This allows teams to do things like sync their data into Notion, build custom tools, and trigger work with webhooks — which are automated signals that kick off actions when something happens in another app — without needing to rely on external infrastructure.
You don’t even have to write the code. The company points out that your preferred AI coding agent can do it for you.
The Workers will use the same credit system as Custom Agents, but Notion is making this free through August, so developers can experiment.
Syncing external data sources is also a part of the Notion Developer Platform. Powered by Workers, the database sync feature can pull in data from any database with an API. That means you could access data from places like Salesforce, Zendesk, Postgres, and others within your own Notion databases — and keep the data current.
Zhao noted that this means that Notion’s users can now “use your Notion database as a sheer canvas to power both your workflows and your agents.”
Image Credits:Notion
Workers can also build agent tools with custom logic, for those times when connecting with a third-party via MCP — short for Model Context Protocol, an emerging standard that lets AI tools connect to external data and services — isn’t enough.
Another addition allows Notion’s users to chat directly with external AI agents they use, assign them work, and track their progress, as if they were one of Notion’s own custom agents. At launch, Notion says that Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Decagon are supported partner agents, but it plans to add more.
There’s an External Agent API, too, if teams want to connect their own internal agents with Notion, like those they’ve built specifically for their company’s needs.
Image Credits:Notion
Developers and agents interact with Notion’s new Developer Platform via the Notion CLI, a command-line tool for developers, available on the company’s Business and Enterprise Plans.
The Developer Platform represents a shift in strategy for Notion as it becomes more of a programmable platform than just an application, setting it up to compete with other workflow automation platforms. As businesses increasingly look to automate knowledge work and build internal AI systems, a platform that ties together agents, custom code, and live data in one place starts to look less like a productivity app and more like core infrastructure.
It also follows the broader trend among AI companies, which have been moving beyond the AI chatbot to offer agentic tools that can take actions across different software platforms.
“Any data, any tool, any agent — that’s the big picture for the Notion Developer Platform,” Zhao said.
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
The EliteBook and ProBook series are clearly aimed at enterprise users, with features like HP Wolf Security and HP Sure View privacy protection. HP claims some configurations can deliver up to 85 TOPS of AI performance, though realistically, most users will probably care more about battery life and everyday responsiveness than AI numbers alone.
The OmniBook lineup, on the other hand, targets mainstream users and creators. Models like the OmniBook Ultra 14, OmniBook X, OmniBook 5, and OmniBook 3 focus heavily on portability and AI-assisted features like posture correction, gesture controls, and smart meeting enhancements. HP is also bundling compact GaN chargers with some models, which is genuinely useful for people constantly traveling with their laptops.
New Work Stations
For professionals working with demanding AI or rendering workloads, HP has launched new Z-series workstations in India, including the HP Z8 Fury G6i, HP ZGX Nano G1n AI Station, HP Z4 G6i, and HP ZBook X G2i 16. These machines can be configured with both AMD and Intel hardware and are aimed at creators, developers, engineers, and enterprise users handling heavy workflows.
HP also announced updates to its Workforce Experience Platform (WXP), which now includes AI-driven tools for device management and workflow automation. The goal here is to help IT teams monitor devices more efficiently and identify system issues before they become major problems.
The EliteBook and ProBook series are clearly aimed at enterprise users, with features like HP Wolf Security and HP Sure View privacy protection. HP claims some configurations can deliver up to 85 TOPS of AI performance, though realistically, most users will probably care more about battery life and everyday responsiveness than AI numbers alone.
The OmniBook lineup, on the other hand, targets mainstream users and creators. Models like the OmniBook Ultra 14, OmniBook X, OmniBook 5, and OmniBook 3 focus heavily on portability and AI-assisted features like posture correction, gesture controls, and smart meeting enhancements. HP is also bundling compact GaN chargers with some models, which is genuinely useful for people constantly traveling with their laptops.
New Work Stations
For professionals working with demanding AI or rendering workloads, HP has launched new Z-series workstations in India, including the HP Z8 Fury G6i, HP ZGX Nano G1n AI Station, HP Z4 G6i, and HP ZBook X G2i 16. These machines can be configured with both AMD and Intel hardware and are aimed at creators, developers, engineers, and enterprise users handling heavy workflows.
HP also announced updates to its Workforce Experience Platform (WXP), which now includes AI-driven tools for device management and workflow automation. The goal here is to help IT teams monitor devices more efficiently and identify system issues before they become major problems.
#Launches #PCs #OmniPad #Tablet #Workstations #IndiaHP">HP Launches 20+ New AI PCs, OmniPad Tablet, And Workstations In India
HP has announced a massive refresh of its India lineup with more than 20 new products spanning laptops, tablets, AI workstations, collaboration gear, and even printers. And yes, just like every other tech launch in 2026, the letters “AI” were everywhere. Still, there are a couple of genuinely interesting products here, especially HP’s first Android tablet for India and a bizarre new “keyboard PC” that honestly looks straight out of a sci-fi setup.
HP OmniPad 12
Windows tablets are nothing new and have been on the market for ages. So, when HP announced its new OmniPad, we all thought it would be a Windows tablet for creative users. Well, it’s not. The OmniPad 12 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon SM6475Q processor and runs Android, optimized for the bigger screen. The front houses a 12-inch 2K (1,200×2,000 pixels) multi-touch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 400 nits.
For cameras, HP has included a 13MP rear sensor alongside a front-facing 8MP camera for video calls. The company claims the 31Wh battery can deliver up to 18 hours of usage. Pricing starts at ₹48,999, which places the OmniPad 12 directly against Apple’s iPad Air and premium Android tablets from Samsung. We should get our hands on a review unit soon to see how well it actually stacks up.
PC in a Keyboard?
Among all the announcements, the HP EliteBoard G1a Next Gen AI PC is probably the strangest. HP describes it as the world’s first AI keyboard PC, which basically means the entire computer is built into a keyboard.
HP says the machine can deliver up to 50 TOPS of NPU performance using the AMD processor and is designed for hybrid work environments where portability and simplicity matter. While AI branding is becoming exhausting at this point, the compact form factor itself is actually pretty interesting.
EliteBook, ProBook, And OmniBook Get AI Upgrades
Beyond the bizarrness of the EliteBoard, HP has refreshed almost its entire laptop lineup in India with new processors. This includes the EliteBook X G2, EliteBook 8 G2, ProBook 4 G2, and several new OmniBook models.
The EliteBook and ProBook series are clearly aimed at enterprise users, with features like HP Wolf Security and HP Sure View privacy protection. HP claims some configurations can deliver up to 85 TOPS of AI performance, though realistically, most users will probably care more about battery life and everyday responsiveness than AI numbers alone.
The OmniBook lineup, on the other hand, targets mainstream users and creators. Models like the OmniBook Ultra 14, OmniBook X, OmniBook 5, and OmniBook 3 focus heavily on portability and AI-assisted features like posture correction, gesture controls, and smart meeting enhancements. HP is also bundling compact GaN chargers with some models, which is genuinely useful for people constantly traveling with their laptops.
New Work Stations
For professionals working with demanding AI or rendering workloads, HP has launched new Z-series workstations in India, including the HP Z8 Fury G6i, HP ZGX Nano G1n AI Station, HP Z4 G6i, and HP ZBook X G2i 16. These machines can be configured with both AMD and Intel hardware and are aimed at creators, developers, engineers, and enterprise users handling heavy workflows.
HP also announced updates to its Workforce Experience Platform (WXP), which now includes AI-driven tools for device management and workflow automation. The goal here is to help IT teams monitor devices more efficiently and identify system issues before they become major problems.
President Donald Trump’s so-called Golden Dome, a missile defense program to shoot down any potential threats to the U.S., will cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate for 20 years, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. That’s just a little more money than the $175 billion Trump said it would cost last year.
Trump signed an executive order calling for the creation of the program in Jan. 2025, shortly after being sworn into office for a second time. Back then it was called the Iron Dome for America. The program is modeled off of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, though the name Golden Dome became more popular, given the president’s tacky fondness for all things gold.
Trump has billed the program as something necessary to protect the U.S. from threats not just launched from the Earth, but also missiles that could be sent from space. The weaponization of space is still not a reality, at least not in the way Trump has talked about it.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term, so we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office in May 2025.
Trump’s vision for the Golden Dome was inspired by President Ronald Reagan (his EO from last year said as much), who tried to develop something similar in the 1980s known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program, which envisioned lasers shot from satellites to take out missile threats, was often ridiculed in the press and became known as “Star Wars,” though guys like Trump obviously didn’t think it was so silly.
The problem with any missile defense system like the Iron Dome is that it’s famously like trying to shoot a bullet with another bullet. And while Israel’s Iron Dome works relatively well, it’s defending a much smaller area than the continental United States. As one expert who works on defense tech told Gizmodo last year, “Everyone looks at it as a replication of Israel’s Iron Dome, but we have to appreciate that Israel’s the size of New Jersey.”
The Iron Dome can also be overwhelmed, like when Hezbollah in Lebanon launched 100 rockets at it back in March. Only about half were successfully shot down, according to Israeli officials who talked with the New York Post.
The CBO estimate was requested by Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, who told the Associated Press that Trump’s Golden Dome is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.”
Experts have expressed skepticism about the plan for the Golden Dome, with some folks like Joseph Cirincione, retired president of the Ploughshares Fund, told Gizmodo in 2025 that the Golden Dome has “no chance of stopping a determined ballistic missile attack,” despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent researching the topic over the past 40 years.
A study last year looked at what it would take to defend against a ballistic missile attack from North Korea and the results weren’t encouraging. It would apparently take over a thousand weapons orbiting in space to hit back against a single ballistic missile. But North Korea would be able to launch anti-satellite attacks and the whole thing would cost a pretty penny, according to Cirincione.
As the AP notes, the Republican-led Congress approved $24 billion for the Golden Dome project last summer. But lawmakers will obviously need to allocate a lot more if they plan on making the missile defense project a reality.
President Donald Trump’s so-called Golden Dome, a missile defense program to shoot down any potential threats to the U.S., will cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate for 20 years, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. That’s just a little more money than the $175 billion Trump said it would cost last year.
Trump signed an executive order calling for the creation of the program in Jan. 2025, shortly after being sworn into office for a second time. Back then it was called the Iron Dome for America. The program is modeled off of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, though the name Golden Dome became more popular, given the president’s tacky fondness for all things gold.
Trump has billed the program as something necessary to protect the U.S. from threats not just launched from the Earth, but also missiles that could be sent from space. The weaponization of space is still not a reality, at least not in the way Trump has talked about it.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term, so we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office in May 2025.
Trump’s vision for the Golden Dome was inspired by President Ronald Reagan (his EO from last year said as much), who tried to develop something similar in the 1980s known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program, which envisioned lasers shot from satellites to take out missile threats, was often ridiculed in the press and became known as “Star Wars,” though guys like Trump obviously didn’t think it was so silly.
The problem with any missile defense system like the Iron Dome is that it’s famously like trying to shoot a bullet with another bullet. And while Israel’s Iron Dome works relatively well, it’s defending a much smaller area than the continental United States. As one expert who works on defense tech told Gizmodo last year, “Everyone looks at it as a replication of Israel’s Iron Dome, but we have to appreciate that Israel’s the size of New Jersey.”
The Iron Dome can also be overwhelmed, like when Hezbollah in Lebanon launched 100 rockets at it back in March. Only about half were successfully shot down, according to Israeli officials who talked with the New York Post.
The CBO estimate was requested by Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, who told the Associated Press that Trump’s Golden Dome is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.”
Experts have expressed skepticism about the plan for the Golden Dome, with some folks like Joseph Cirincione, retired president of the Ploughshares Fund, told Gizmodo in 2025 that the Golden Dome has “no chance of stopping a determined ballistic missile attack,” despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent researching the topic over the past 40 years.
A study last year looked at what it would take to defend against a ballistic missile attack from North Korea and the results weren’t encouraging. It would apparently take over a thousand weapons orbiting in space to hit back against a single ballistic missile. But North Korea would be able to launch anti-satellite attacks and the whole thing would cost a pretty penny, according to Cirincione.
As the AP notes, the Republican-led Congress approved $24 billion for the Golden Dome project last summer. But lawmakers will obviously need to allocate a lot more if they plan on making the missile defense project a reality.
#Trumps #Golden #Dome #Cost #Trilliondefense tech,Golden Dome,Iron Dome,president trump">Trump’s Golden Dome Will Cost $1.2 Trillion (With a T)
President Donald Trump’s so-called Golden Dome, a missile defense program to shoot down any potential threats to the U.S., will cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate for 20 years, according to a new estimate from the Congressional Budget Office. That’s just a little more money than the $175 billion Trump said it would cost last year.
Trump signed an executive order calling for the creation of the program in Jan. 2025, shortly after being sworn into office for a second time. Back then it was called the Iron Dome for America. The program is modeled off of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, though the name Golden Dome became more popular, given the president’s tacky fondness for all things gold.
Trump has billed the program as something necessary to protect the U.S. from threats not just launched from the Earth, but also missiles that could be sent from space. The weaponization of space is still not a reality, at least not in the way Trump has talked about it.
“This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term, so we’ll have it done in about three years,” Trump said during a press conference in the Oval Office in May 2025.
Trump’s vision for the Golden Dome was inspired by President Ronald Reagan (his EO from last year said as much), who tried to develop something similar in the 1980s known as the Strategic Defense Initiative. The program, which envisioned lasers shot from satellites to take out missile threats, was often ridiculed in the press and became known as “Star Wars,” though guys like Trump obviously didn’t think it was so silly.
The problem with any missile defense system like the Iron Dome is that it’s famously like trying to shoot a bullet with another bullet. And while Israel’s Iron Dome works relatively well, it’s defending a much smaller area than the continental United States. As one expert who works on defense tech told Gizmodo last year, “Everyone looks at it as a replication of Israel’s Iron Dome, but we have to appreciate that Israel’s the size of New Jersey.”
The Iron Dome can also be overwhelmed, like when Hezbollah in Lebanon launched 100 rockets at it back in March. Only about half were successfully shot down, according to Israeli officials who talked with the New York Post.
The CBO estimate was requested by Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon, who told the Associated Press that Trump’s Golden Dome is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.”
Experts have expressed skepticism about the plan for the Golden Dome, with some folks like Joseph Cirincione, retired president of the Ploughshares Fund, told Gizmodo in 2025 that the Golden Dome has “no chance of stopping a determined ballistic missile attack,” despite hundreds of millions of dollars spent researching the topic over the past 40 years.
A study last year looked at what it would take to defend against a ballistic missile attack from North Korea and the results weren’t encouraging. It would apparently take over a thousand weapons orbiting in space to hit back against a single ballistic missile. But North Korea would be able to launch anti-satellite attacks and the whole thing would cost a pretty penny, according to Cirincione.
As the AP notes, the Republican-led Congress approved $24 billion for the Golden Dome project last summer. But lawmakers will obviously need to allocate a lot more if they plan on making the missile defense project a reality.
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