A congressional hearing with the head of the US Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond was held last June 16 to discuss what was planned to allow continued dominance of the US in space.
The discussion revolved around the use of directed energy for knocking out enemy satellites to protect US satellites in space. One of the major concerns is how the tech for the space force is getting developed for an effective capability, reported C4ISRNet.
Space Force spokesperson said that according to the agency's head, Russia and China are capable of using directed energy as an offensive capability to cause damage or destroy them. He told Langevin that they have the tools to deal with such threats.
Next-generation defensive weapons
The use of lasers placed in orbit has been a focus of the Missile Defense Agency before. Advanced nations even developed lasers that can be fired at satellites disabling its sensors. Wrecking sensors of enemy space equipment like satellites is a crucial defense.
But space military agencies did not give all details of what key tech will be used or whether it is convention or energy-based. However, it is said that the directed energy offense system was under development.
The US Space Force developing exotic weapons using directed energy is a shift to the changes with others weaponizing space, as the next area of conflict.
There was mention of anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons by China and Russia that is the reason for the space-based military organization. ASAT weapons under test and development were scoured by the U.S. Space Command's Gen. James Dickinson, saying the debris from destroyed satellites in low Earth orbit poses a danger.
Another issue is the unacknowledged existence of a satellite that fires missiles in space which Raymond call as an on-orbit weapon system, cited Defense News.
Dickinson added that it was Russia that prompted an arms race in space by having weapons in space and on the ground made to knock out enemy satellites. It is not indicative of seeking a peaceful co-existence in space.
It does not encourage nations not to weaponize space, and keep it a neutral zone.
The current US Space Force has continued the mission carried out by the USAF, and the Air Force like now has kept what Satellite killer armaments it owns or developing in secrecy. One of these exotic weapons made public is the Counter Communications System which is portable enough to be transported to jam any adversary satellites in orbit, cited Funtitech.
What are the plans for laser development by the Air Force is not yet clear, whether they will be attached to weaponize space satellites or be fired from the ground. Missiles called ASAT in the US arsenal that can hit satellites low enough to reach.
Unconfirmed intelligence has mentioned that kinetic weapons like railguns or laser, and jammers for attacking satellites are now the emphasis of American adversaries. They want to become a dominant player by challenging US dominance in space.
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