The United States Space Force is soon going to deploy the first batch of a new ground-based satellite communications jammer – with a special focus on China.
The ground-based satellite communications jammer is capable of disrupting signals from enemy spacecraft. As per officials in the Space Operations Command it will be placed with the military forces immediately.
According to a report in Defense News, the Space Force is planning to deploy 11 jammers in the first batch. The whole program has the capacity and funds to place 160 such systems in total, and the Space Force predicts that it will need 200 of these in the long run.
The jammers are in the shape of small, modular terminals and are manufactured in such a way that they can block communication of enemy satellites that are engaged in surveillance of US and its allies.
Satellite jammer to protect US from ‘space-enabled’ attacks
The Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) had tested the satellite jammer – called Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) – earlier this year in April.
During the test, the satellite jammer had been fielded at two geographically separated locations and controlled from a third, to prove its operational flexibility.
STARCOM had stated that the RMT is “designed to be fielded in large numbers at low-cost and operated remotely – increasing the capacity, adaptability, and resiliency of the system.”
The test had targeted key performance metrics such as system latency and target engagement accuracy.
It further provided an opportunity for the US forces to conduct a Cyber Vulnerability Penetration Assessment to ensure the remote connections were secure.
“This event demonstrates the Service’s new vision for integrated developmental and operational test to provide more relevant capabilities to Guardians faster,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Col. Gerrit Dalman, 25th SRS commander.
“Specifically, this capability will unlock the scale to provide counterspace electronic warfare capability to all of the new Space Force components globally.”
Chinese threat and RMT’s capabilities
China’s remote-sensing satellite Yaogan-41 had been launched into the geostationary orbit in December 2023.
According to a report by CSIS, it could possibly “identify and track car-sized objects throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region and put at risk numerous U.S. and allied naval and air assets operating in the region.”
China had stated that the satellite was meant for civilian purposes, but experts in the West had claimed that it was primarily a military reconnaissance satellite.
Beijing continues to launch several such systems in orbit, and this could lead to problems for the US and its allies.
Therefore, satellite jammers could very well prove to be the weapon of choice for the US if the situation turns tense in any region – especially the Indo-Pacific.
The Space Force had been stressing the need of a satellite jamming capability since months.
The Defense News report states that the RMT satellite jammer will ‘yell in the ear’ of the radars to stop them from communicating with other military assets that can be used to target US and its allies.
It will disrupt the satellites placed overhead by overloading specific portions of the electromagnetic spectrum with interference.
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