US confirms for first time it has deployed space weapons

[Andy_Ross]

The US has confirmed it deployed a space weapon in Earth's orbit, the first time it has acknowledged such offensive capabilities.

US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink said the "on orbit" weapon was necessary to safeguard US forces against hostile enemy action.

Speaking at the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Monday, Meink said the US was ready for "evolving threats", but did not elaborate on the weapon's capabilities or when it was put into orbit.

The US Space Force says China "develops and operates space and counterspace capabilities as part of a military modernisation strategy," while Russia "views space as a warfighting domain and believes space supremacy will be a decisive factor in future conflicts".

US confirms for first time it has deployed space weapons

The US Air Force Secretary says the weapons are necessary to defend the country against enemy action.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Darat]

The existence is hardly surprising, the admission is.

 

[TragicMonkey]

The existence is hardly surprising, the admission is.

I dunno, letting people know you have a fancy new weapon of unstated capabilities might dampen some current hostile activity, or delay some until/unless the weapon is demonstrated/proven to be a hoax. The Houthis know we would never waste a nuke on them, for example, but if we have a (possibly kosher?) Space Laser...

 

[Thermal]

I didn't really think the Space Force guys were just playing computer solitaire all day.

 

[Resume]

I hope AI (or even A1) isn't involved.

 

[azazal]

I dunno, letting people know you have a fancy new weapon of unstated capabilities might dampen some current hostile activity, or delay some until/unless the weapon is demonstrated/proven to be a hoax. The Houthis know we would never waste a nuke on them, for example, but if we have a (possibly kosher?) Space Laser...

The good old Thor's Hammer, because most American's can't pronounce Mjölnir

Kinetic bombardment - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"A system described in the 2003 United States Air Force report called Hypervelocity Rod Bundles was that of 20-foot-long (6.1 m), 1-foot-diameter (0.30 m) tungsten rods that are satellite-controlled and have global strike capability, with impact speeds of Mach 10."

 

[Gord_in_Toronto]

At least we know they are not nuclear weapons because there is a treaty preventing that.

Outer Space Treaty - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[JayUtah]

The good old Thor's Hammer, because most American's can't pronounce Mjölnir

Kinetic bombardment - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Some Americans can't even pronounce "America."

Any bombardment (kinetic or otherwise) from orbit has always had problems posed by the essential nature of orbital mechanics. It can only hit targets compatible with the orbit of the bomber. This severely constraints the times and places you can use it. Depending on the size of your bomber constellation, it could only work as a limited first-strike weapon.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

Another treaty violated by the US.
Never trust anything an American President says

 

[TragicMonkey]

I think the current appeal of space weaponry isn't so much surface strikes but taking out other satellites.

 

[Vixen]

Sometimes I think the extinction of the species Homo sapiens would be a good thing for all the damage we do to the earth and the environment. The ocean- and sea-beds covered in nuclear waste, rusty junk and all kinds of plastic crap, not to mention our endless wars and destruction. Horrible conditions for wildlife: millions of primates and canines imprisoned for 'scientific testing'. A nazi-saluting ◊◊◊◊ sending hundreds of thousands of satellites into space because he can, no permission needed (see Naomi Klein's new book). And the same hooligan crashing a stray rocket into the moon causing HUGE damage to its surface. So yeah, now we have the excuse of a weapons race between China and the USA to militarize space, no doubt test out a few nukes on sundry planets.

 

[theprestige]

Probably an ICBM interceptor prototype of some kind, either energy or kinetic. Assuming it actually went up at all.

 

[Planigale]

Most of the articles I have read suggest it is an anti-satellite weapon of some type. The US has found that the combination of satellite imaging and cheap drones (and GPS?) a real problem. It does seem part of the success of Iran military response has been the ability to accurately target US bases and equipment. This is thought to be due to Russian satellite imagery provided to Iran.

Whether the US would go so far as to blind a Russian satellite I do not know. They may threaten to do so if Russia continues to provide data to Iran. Alternatively Iran may have a satellite in orbit launched by Russia, and Trump may be planning to take it out.This announcement may be to pressurise Iran by threatening its access to satellite intelligence.

I think no one can seriously thinks Trump would be inhibited from ordering the space force he created from tasking out an Iranian satellite. He might be reluctant to take out one of Putin's though.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

The Boeing X-37 space drone can certainly be used to mess with other satellites.
It's been around since 2010.

 

[theprestige]

Recon satellites are legitimate military targets.

 

[Skeptical Greg]

Anything is a legitimate military target when you are calling the shots.

 

[theprestige]

Anything is a legitimate military target when you are calling the shots.

Geneva Convention says otherwise.

Do you have a problem with sovereign nations putting other nation's recon satellites on a potential target list? Alongside things like air bases, naval stations, missile launch facilities, etc.?

 

[Skeptical Greg]

No..
Not as long as we have the upper hand.

The golden rule.

 

[The Great Zaganza]

using anti-satellite weapons is, of course, very much a nuclear option, as the debris from such an attack would damage other satellites indiscriminately, potentially causing a Kessler Syndrome that would take out most satellites.

 

[Planigale]

using anti-satellite weapons is, of course, very much a nuclear option, as the debris from such an attack would damage other satellites indiscriminately, potentially causing a Kessler Syndrome that would take out most satellites.

A high energy laser could blind a satellite without producing debris.