UK Military Jams Adversary Satellites for 1 Year as RAF Forms Space Effects Squadron
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 23
UK Military Jams Adversary Satellites for 1 Year as RAF Forms Space Effects Squadron
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 23
Summary
A ground-based UK military system has spent the past year jamming or blocking foreign satellites to deter hostile threats, including tracking of nuclear submarines and special-forces operations.
The RAF disclosed the activity as it launched the Space Effects Squadron, a new unit tasked with disrupting, degrading and denying hostile threats in space.
Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said the threat is growing in scale, speed and sophistication, warning a loss of GPS would cost the UK economy £1.4 billion a day.
The move follows repeated warnings about hostile space activity: UK officials said Russia tries to jam British satellites weekly, and the RAF has tracked dangerous Russian satellite manoeuvres and GPS disruptions across Europe and Canada.
Britain's step adds to a widening military contest in orbit after the US last week confirmed it had deployed an unspecified space weapon, drawing Chinese and Russian warnings of an arms race.
Does Britain's aggressive new space defense strategy risk provoking the exact orbital conflicts it desperately aims to prevent?
Could the UK's secret electronic warfare system accidentally trigger a catastrophic blackout by escalating an invisible war in space?
Defending Britain in Orbit: The No. III Space Effects Squadron, Counter-Space Threats, and the £3.2 Billion UK Space Defence Strategy
Overview
The UK launched the No. III Space Effects Squadron in 2026 to actively counter growing threats in orbit, especially from adversaries like Russia, who conduct weekly satellite jamming and provocative actions. This move is part of a broader strategy, backed by billions in investment, to protect vital infrastructure such as GPS, whose loss could cost the UK economy £1.4 billion per day. As space becomes a contested domain, NATO has recognized attacks in space as grounds for collective defense, while the integration of commercial satellites into military operations raises new legal and ethical questions about civilian protections and the risk of escalation.