Britain Forms Squadron to Strike Threats in Orbit
- On Wednesday, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth announced the III Space Effects Squadron at the UK Space Power Conference, where Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned the UK must "keep pace in the new space race."
- The new unit joins the Royal Air Force's growing UK Space Command, established at RAF High Wycombe in 2021, as the Strategic Defence Review emphasizes that operating in space underpins British security, prosperity, and daily life.
- Acting against threats using electronic warfare, the squadron completes a trio including No. I Space Operations Squadron and No. II Space Warning Squadron, while Britain remains committed to peaceful orbital norms, formally ruling out destructive anti-satellite missile testing.
- Alongside the announcement, the government restated an £880 million investment between 2026/27 and 2029/30 for space control activities, and SaxaVord Spaceport will receive £30 million in support to strengthen satellite launch capabilities.
- The Defence Investment Plan committed to the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, a trilateral programme with the United States and Australia that will provide continuous radar coverage of geostationary orbit.
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48 Articles
Space is becoming a new arena of military competition: for the first time, Britain is setting up its own unit to protect its satellites.
<p>British Air Force creates first space squadron to protect satellites from attack The UK's new space squadron will counter threats in orbit and protect critical satellites. It will be equipped with means REB.</p>
The Earth's orbit is becoming a strategic field of operations for defense. This month, the United States confirmed the shipment of weapons into orbit for the first time, which China denounced as preparations "for war in outer space." The new British squadron will be presented by the Chief of Staff of the Royal Air Force (RAF), Harv Smyth, during the Space Power conference that takes place in London Wednesday and Thursday. The unit will be called…
Britain has announced the creation of a new squadron of the Royal Air Force, the so-called III Space Squadron, whose tasks are very specific. The main challenge is to counter threats to British satellites. According to the Department of Defense of the United Kingdom,
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