- Published
The British military has been jamming or blocking satellites from other countries in order to defend itself from hostile threats, the BBC has been told.
asserted
BBC → publish → threats
The RAF has been using a ground-based system for the past year, which a defence source said had already been used "to deter our adversaries".
asserted
source → use → adversaries
It is understood the system could be used to prevent a hostile nation's satellites from tracking the movement of the UK's nuclear armed submarines or other sensitive military operations, such as those involving special forces.
uncertain
system → understand → forces
It comes as the head of the RAF said the UK faced "unprecedented threats" from adversaries in space, coinciding with the creation of a new RAF unit set up to defend Britain's satellites.
asserted
UK → come → satellites
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the new Space Effects Squadron will be focused on "disrupting, degrading and denying hostile threats in space".
asserted
Squadron → say → space
In a speech on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said daily lives depend on satellites that power everyday technologies like mobile phones and banking apps, adding the loss of GPS would cost the UK economy £1.4bn a day.
"Our dependency on space is precisely why it is increasingly under threat from our adversaries."
asserted
it → say → adversaries
he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
"We depend on them for everything from weather forecasts, energy supplies, and financial transactions to sat-navs, mobile phone connections, and Amazon deliveries," said Streeting, adding that the loss of "everyday conveniences would undermine our daily freedoms, and trust in our institutions."
asserted
loss → depend → institutions
Speaking at the UK Space Conference, Streeting said that threat from Britain's adversaries was growing in "scale, speed and sophistication", adding that the "challenges in space increasingly mirror the geopolitics on Earth".
asserted
challenges → speak → Earth
A number of nations are believed to have similar ground-based systems against satellites.
asserted
number → believe → satellites
Last year the then head the UK's Space Command said Russia was trying to jam UK satellites with ground based systems "every week".
asserted
Russia → say → systems
The defence source described the UK's terrestrial electronic warfare capability as "world leading, and more".
asserted
source → describe → capability
Last week US confirmed for the first time that it had also deployed an unspecified "weapon" in space to defend its own satellites.
asserted
it → confirm → satellites
Both China and Russia condemned the move - warning of an arms race in space.
However, Washington has already accused both Russian and China of developing their own space weapons - ranging from electronic jammers, lasers to blind other satellites and even projectiles that can be fired from satellites in orbit.
asserted
that → condemn → orbit
In May, the RAF tracked a series of "dangerous manoeuvres" by five Russian satellites moving close to two Finnish commercial satellites.
uncertain
RAF → track → satellites
The RAF's Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth said in June that a Russian satellite constellation had caused disruptions to GPS signals across Europe and Canada.
asserted
constellation → say → Europe
The UK has a handful of military satellites in orbit for surveillance and military communications.
asserted
UK → have → surveillance
But it works closely with the US Space Force - which has many more.
asserted
which → work → more
In a separate speech at the space conference, ACM Smyth added that "unfortunately we are seeing more and more irresponsible and provocative actions from our adversaries".
asserted
we → add → adversaries
ACM Smyth warned that without satellites, some of the technologies people take for granted would be lost and would make every sector "less efficient, less prosperous and less secure".
asserted
sector → warn → technologies
"Sat-nav systems would fail, congestion on our roads would be severe and our emergency services would take longer to help those in need," he said, adding that satellites are also needed to monitor the weather and the effects of climate change.
asserted
satellites → fail → change
The Aporia
