The United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force."

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made the first public declaration Monday that the United States has placed “space control weapons” in orbit, an announcement that will surely reverberate in the power centers of Beijing and Moscow.

Space Force officials have previously expressed their interest in acquiring space-based weapons, and Pentagon leaders have become more open to discussing space warfare in recent years. Therefore, Meink’s announcement Monday at the Air and Space Forces Association’s annual Air, Space & Cyber Conference near Washington, DC, was not entirely unexpected.

“Today, we continue to ensure we remain ready to meet the challenges of evolving threats, wherever they exist. This is why the United States now has on-orbit space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action,” Meink said in prepared remarks.

  • davad@lemmy.world
    3·
    3 days ago

    This isn’t exactly news. As the article says, they’ve openly discussed space-based weapons for years. They just haven’t asserted that they have them until now.

    For anyone wandering across this post, “space-based” weapons aren’t what you’ve seen in movies or TV shows. They likely don’t include a single space-to-land weapon. Weight restrictions make it impractical to put missiles into orbit, and the inverse-square law (and small power budget) makes lasers impractical.

    So what kind of weapons are practical?

    1. Satellite breakers
    2. Satcom interception
    3. Satcom interdiction

    A weapon that can adjust its orbit enough can position itself to swamp (#3) or intercept (#2) a satellite’s comms. The weapon could also transmit “loud enough” to fry target electronics (#1). It could intercept and triangulate satcom transmitters on earth (#2). It could also smash into another satellite (#1), though that’s probably a last resort (satellites are expensive).

    • Wren@lemmy.todayOPMEnglish
      1·
      3 days ago

      It’s the first time the presence of space weapons has been disclosed, which is significant and definitely news.

      While the exact type of weapons the United States has isn’t revealed, the article goes into detail about the categories and kinds of weapons that are feasible.