The Immediate Need for “Backyard Domes” to Protect Against Local Drone Swarms

By Paul Manz, Chief Scientist | January 8, 2026

On January 27, 2025, the President of the United States (POTUS) issued Executive Order (EO) 14186, which expanded the scope of the homeland missile defense mission and directed the Department of Defense (DoD) to develop “a next generation missile shield,” which is now more commonly known as the “Golden Dome for America” initiative. The Golden Dome is focused on deterring “any foreign aerial attack on the Homeland” and defending our Nation, its citizens, and critical infrastructure against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks from peer, near-peer, and rogue adversaries. [1]

An initial capability is targeted for delivery within three years at an estimated cost of $175B. This initial capability would primarily leverage ground-launched missile interceptors, non-kinetic defense solutions such as Electronic Warfare (EW), and even Space-based interceptors. These defense capabilities would be integrated with a comprehensive, distributed, complex Sensor, Command and Control (C2), and Advanced Communications system-of-systems network to implement the “next generation missile shield” as ordered by POTUS. [2][3]

While this national-level program to protect our citizens and critical infrastructure against advanced strategic-type threats is a great step forward, Golden Dome is not currently being designed to protect against local swarming, smaller Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) [aka drones] threats that may come from “inside the Homeland wire” (i.e. in our “Backyard”). [4]

Our Nation requires a comprehensive, multi-layered air defense system capable of mitigating both external strategic missile threats and local swarming drone threats. A combination of Golden Dome solutions, along with the widespread deployment of complementary, local Backyard Dome solutions, is urgently needed to protect our citizens, critical infrastructure, and supply chain assets against those who intend to do us harm on our Homeland.

Attacks from local swarming drones represent an increasingly critical threat to citizens and critical infrastructure, including military bases, friendly military forces, and other assets both abroad and in the Homeland. [5]

When considering the added facts that tens of thousands of Chinese Nationals have been encountered entering the USA illegally over the last several years, as well as China buying property in our Homeland near military bases, critical domestic infrastructure, and supply chain assets, our Country has a potential significant national security risk that must be addressed. [7] [8]

While the use of lethal kinetic defensive measures is an accepted practice in a war zone, the use of these same capabilities domestically within the borders of the USA to protect our citizens, infrastructure, and supply chain assets is a different matter entirely, where the potential for collateral damage from these kinetic defenses is high.

As the drone threat increases domestically, more acceptable non-kinetic, EW-based counter-drone defense solutions are being deployed. These non-kinetic, EW-based counter-drone solutions include the ability to jam positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals, such as Global Positioning System signals from Space, and/or wireless communications used to control attacking swarming drones. Unfortunately, as recently proven during the Russia-Ukraine Conflict, EW jamming by itself cannot reliably be counted upon to defend against swarming drone attacks within a country’s own borders. [6]

While non-kinetic defenses should always be the first choice to defend military bases, critical domestic infrastructure, supply chain assets, and other important locations in our own backyard, there will be times when kinetic defense solutions must be used to counter such potential “local” swarming drone attacks within the borders of the USA.

This most likely means some form of an automated, accurate, networked, kinetic gun-based solution that fires a purposely designed, limited-collateral, airburst munition with a reasonable range to cover and protect local Homeland assets. This munition must have a kinetic “performance envelope” that guarantees the physical removal of the swarming drone threat from the air while minimizing downrange hazard, which can be controlled by the armament system’s engagement range settings.

Correspondingly, three things need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

The first is the acceptance by the general public and the body politic that kinetic counter-drone engagement solutions (with undoubtedly some form of potential limited collateral damage) will be needed as a last line of defense to address the challenges posed by such local swarming drone threats inside the Golden Dome. Public policy and potential changes to the Law must follow suit.

Secondly, “go fast” development, production, and widespread deployment of such limited-collateral, cost-effective, kinetic solutions to defend against potential “local” swarming drone attacks is required as a scalable complementary capability to Golden Dome.

Thirdly, an expeditious agreement between the Department of Defense’s Gun and Munitions experts, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Aviation Administration must be established, with the support of Congress and POTUS, to develop, acquire, deploy, and operate these “Backyard Dome” defenses domestically within our Nation’s borders.[9]

Posted in SAVIT BLOG

About Paul Manz, Chief Scientist

Paul Manz currently serves as Chief Scientist for SAVIT Corporation. SAVIT is a small, non-traditional munitions and armaments engineering and manufacturing firm located in Rockaway, NJ. Paul recently retired after a four-decade career of civilian service with the Department of Defense (DoD). He has a dozen patents and was previously recognized as a Top Engineer in DoD and a Top Precision Weapons/Munitions Engineer in the USA.

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