Inside the Iron Dome: The World's Most Advanced Missile Defense
Explore Israel's Iron Dome defensive system — its revolutionary technology, 90% interception rate, and global impact on modern warfare.
Simon Whistler
· January 29, 2026 
Featured
Browse Projects
Project Pulse
- —Weekly dispatch
- —Engineering deep-dives
- —Cost breakdowns
- —Behind-the-numbers notes from Simon
Latest
Browse Projects45 published articles across 5 categories.
Arleigh Burke: The U.S. Navy's Guided-Missile Destroyer Workhorse
The Arleigh Burke destroyer survives because it keeps absorbing radar, missile-defense, and fleet-escort jobs while the Navy waits for DDG(X).
Aurora Spy Plane: The $2 Billion Aircraft That May Never Have Existed
The Aurora legend began with a black-budget line item, sonic booms, and triangular sightings. The evidence points to something murkier than one spy plane.
Dassault Mirage: The Delta-Wing Fighter Family That Sold the World
The Dassault Mirage family turned France's postwar fighter crisis into a global export success, from Mirage III and Mirage 5 to F1 and Mirage 2000.
FAST: China's Half-Kilometer Telescope Built to Hear the Universe
How China built FAST, the half-kilometer Sky Eye radio telescope, with an active dish, a suspended feed cabin, and a protected radio-quiet valley.
H-20: China's Stealth Bomber Is Still a Mystery
China's H-20 stealth bomber has been promised for years. The public record still shows a program wrapped in secrecy, delay, and unproven claims.
MAKO: Lockheed's Small Hypersonic Missile for Stealth Fighters
Lockheed's MAKO missile is a compact hypersonic weapon built for fighter carriage. Its real pitch is affordable mass, not biggest-range bragging.
MQ-28 Ghost Bat: Australia's Combat Drone That Allies Want to Buy
Australia's MQ-28 Ghost Bat is a Boeing-built collaborative combat aircraft designed to team with crewed jets, fire missiles, and scale allied airpower.
The Panama Canal Water Crisis Exposed a Fragile Shortcut
The Panama Canal's 2023-24 drought showed how a global shortcut depends on rainfall, Gatun Lake, and the contested Rio Indio reservoir.
Shanghai Tower: China's Tallest Skyscraper and the Megatall Problem
Shanghai Tower solved soft soil, typhoon winds, elevators, and double-skin design at 632 meters. The harder problem was making a megatall icon work.
Su-75 Checkmate: Russia's F-35 Rival That Still Has to Fly
Russia's Su-75 Checkmate was pitched as a cheap fifth-generation export fighter. Its real test is whether UAC can turn a mockup into a flying aircraft.
Talon-A2: The Pentagon's Reusable Hypersonic Test Vehicle
Talon-A2 is not a fielded missile yet. It is a reusable Mach 5-plus test vehicle that could change how fast the Pentagon learns hypersonics.
USS Constellation: Why the Navy's Superfrigate Plan Fell Apart
The USS Constellation began as a safer frigate bet built on the FREMM parent design. By 2026, delays and redesigns had shrunk the program to two ships.