The military has placed surface to air missile systems near Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, and near Donald J. Trump International Airport in West Palm Beach. The North American Aerospace Defense Command, known as NORAD, and US Northern Command confirmed they set up the ground based air defense equipment at the request of the Secret Service.
Surface to air missiles are weapons fired from the ground to shoot down aircraft. The systems in Palm Beach are Army Avenger units, short range air defense launchers mounted on Humvees. A pair of them sits on a floating barge in the water near Mar-a-Lago, and a separate bank of missile systems has been positioned near the airport. Photos show the Avengers set up beside Mar-a-Lago during Trump’s visit on October 23.
The airport was renamed in Trump’s honor, so the missile systems are now guarding both his private club and the airport that carries his name.
The added firepower follows a long run of planes wandering where they should not. When Trump is in Palm Beach, the government sets up temporary flight restrictions, which are no fly zones that private pilots are required to avoid. NORAD has reported intercepting more than 60 aircraft near the estate since Trump returned to office in January 2025. That includes an F-16 fighter jet intercepting a plane that violated the restricted airspace on October 24. NORAD also ran a planned air defense exercise over Palm Beach on October 14 using F-16s and Civil Air Patrol aircraft.
Aviation experts told WPTV the missile systems are meant to be a last line of defense. Dewitt Ingram described the weapons as a final layer of protection behind fighter jets and other measures. Fellow expert Matthew “Whiz” Buckley said security around a target like Mar-a-Lago needs more than one plan. “That’s why you got to have redundancy. You got to have backups,” Buckley said, adding that drone swarms are among the threats officials have to think about.
The missile systems in plain view have locals and travelers doing double takes as they pass the airport and the waterfront near Trump’s club.
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