Military Watch: Russia and China have developed weapons that make satellites blind and lost
The head of space operations in the United States, General John Raymond, warned of the space power possessed by Russia and China, considering that space will play an increasing role in the future of wars and that “America’s potential enemies”, as he put it, have developed their capabilities “to threaten his country”.
“Military Watch” magazine, which specializes in weapons and equipment news, quoted the general as asserting that both China and Russia have developed “weapons that can disrupt or destroy our satellites, from the ground or in space, or in cyberspace”.
With regard to Chinese capabilities, the US general said: “China has already deployed ground-based missiles (anti-satellite weapons) aimed at destroying satellites in (low Earth orbit)”.
In addition, the general noted that the two sides have developed “anti-satellite lasers (for space communication devices) that are likely to be intended to blind or destroy sensitive space optical sensors on LEO satellites,” with means of disabling satellites, including “Reversible jamming of communications satellites and GPS satellites,” which could turn satellites into “blind and lost” satellites due to their lack of communication with their bases.
The newspaper noted that the Russian “MiG-31” interceptor fighter is considered today “the most capable combat aircraft in the space war”.
In addition to being the fastest fighter that can rise to the highest layers of the Earth’s atmosphere, it is “one of the few fighters that can fire air-to-air missiles at Several thousand kilometers above the Armstrong Limit, large enough to carry massive anti-satellite missiles.
The newspaper noted that Russia is working to develop the successor to the former Russian fighter, the MiG 41, and will be able to fly to higher altitudes and speeds, as it will contribute to space wars more than its predecessor, according to the source.
The newspaper emphasized that space control “will play a major role in determining which country has the ability to collect intelligence information and countries that can better obtain targeting data and have an advantage, especially in light of the increasing importance of satellites and guided missiles in the war of the twenty-first century”.
