US to deploy new jamming system amid China-Russia satellite threat

The United States is increasingly concerned about Russia and China's growing space capabilities. According to American intelligence, Beijing has long provided Moscow with geospatial intelligence. Moreover, Chinese satellites are said to monitor not only Ukraine but also NATO territory. In response, the Americans plan to deploy a new ground-based jamming system to hinder Chinese and Russian satellites from transmitting information about US forces during potential conflicts.

In April 2024, the Americans warned allies that China was ramping its support for Russia. This support was said to include providing images from Chinese satellites and microelectronics, optics, and fuel used by the Russian defence industry, including missile systems. According to Bloomberg, at that time, optical and radar data from over 100 satellites were expected to come from the Chinese companies HEAD Aerospace and Spacety.

Bloomberg also highlighted the leasing of several Chinese satellites by Russian state institutions and the Wagner Group. Among the devices were high-resolution satellites Jilin-1 Gaofen 03D12 and 03D13 and related services. The Russians leased these for over CAD 40 million in 2022. The latest American concerns are Russia's and China's ambitions to deploy space weapons that could significantly impact US national security. Beijing and Moscow are said to be getting closer to realizing this idea.

In the face of growing threats in space, Washington plans to deploy a new ground-based jamming system to make it difficult for Chinese and Russian satellites to transmit information about American forces during conflicts. The US Space Force was supposed to test this system in early 2024 in two locations. According to Bloomberg, the system's goal is not to jam satellites' operations but to "responsibly counter the opponent's satellite communication capabilities that enable attacks."

According to a statement from the US Space Force, Americans intend to deploy 24 Remote Modular Terminal jammers in undisclosed locations by the end of 2024. The system complements other satellite signal jamming weapons: the Counter Communications System and Meadowlands. The Americans assure that this solution will block space attacks on the USA and allied forces in a way that does not destroy satellites in space; they emphasize that the system is purely defensive.

If this system's action is purely defensive, it contrasts with the solutions developed by Russia and China. Moscow aims to develop nuclear space weapons. Astrophysicist Dr. Marcin Gawroński, in an interview with WP Tech, emphasized that it is a double-edged sword that can destroy all satellites, not just selected devices.

"Anti-satellite nuclear weapons are a double-edged sword. If you use them, it's not about direct kinetic destruction but about generating an electromagnetic pulse with high-energy particles that will damage or burn satellite electronics. Of course, military satellites have better or worse technological protections that are not disclosed. Still, all communication, civilian observations, scientific research, and everything near Earth could be destroyed," explained the expert.