Italian defense company Leonardo has unveiled an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered air defense system named “Michael Angelo Dome”.
- Italian defense company Leonardo has explained the plans of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered shield for protecting cities and essential infrastructure amid geopolitical tension.
- The company said that this shield named “Michael Angelo Dome” has been made for the protection of essential infrastructure, sensitive urban areas, and assets of national and European strategic importance.
- The company’s goal is that this project should be fully operational by the end of this decade.
“Michael Angelo Dome”
- Leonardo claims that it works differently from other domes because it has next-generation sensors in the domains of land, naval, air, and space along with cyber defense platform, command-and-control system, and AI.
- The company said that it creates a security umbrella that can detect, track, and neutralize many types of threats including hypersonic missiles, drone swarms, surface and subsurface maritime attacks, and enemy ground forces – even during large-scale, coordinated attacks.
- Since U.S. President Donald Trump has said that he can reduce financial support for the bloc, Europe has increased its defense expenditure.
- In October 2022, Europe also announced the Sky Shield Initiative (ESSI), whose objective is to increase the continent’s protection from aerial threats after Russia’s large-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022.
- In May, the EU announced a 150 billion euro ($173.5 million) program to provide long-term loans to member countries for defense procurement and industrial capacity. NATO members also promised in June to increase expenditure on defense and security to 5% by 2035.
Air defense systems around the world
- India – Akash system, Prithvi Air Defense (PAD), QRSAM (Quick Reaction Surface-to-Air Missile system).
- USA – Golden Dome missile defense project (proposed), Patriot, THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense), NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System), Avenger system.
- Russia – S-400 “Triumph”, S-500 “Prometey”, Buk and Tor systems.
- China – HQ-9, HQ-16, HQ-22, HQ-19
- Israel – Iron Dome, David’s Sling, Arrow 2 and Arrow 3.
Italy now classifies femicide as a distinct crime.
- Italy’s parliament has approved a law that considers femicide, that is, deliberately killing women and girls because of their gender – in its criminal code, whose punishment is life imprisonment.
- Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that she “wants to create an Italy where no woman ever feels alone, scared, or not believed.”
- Meloni’s government has supported this bill from the beginning and has also supported other laws for women’s safety, such as anti-stalking laws. Parliament is also debating a bill that bans sexual intercourse without “free and real consent.”
- Italy has joined a few such countries – which include Mexico and Chile – that specifically consider femicide as a criminal offense. The law includes life imprisonment as punishment.
What is femicide?
- It is considered one of the most serious cases of crimes targeting women. The 2022 framework prepared by several United Nations bodies divided femicide into three categories based on the relationship of women with their attacker(s).
- These were intentional killings of women and girls committed by their intimate partners, other family members (blood relatives and relations through marriage or adoption), and other criminals.
- Although most countries do not consider femicide a crime, they have laws to punish crimes against women. For example, in India there are separate legal provisions related to dowry deaths. Many others consider the victim’s gender as an aggravating factor, which can lead to severe punishment.
