RAF secretly using satellite jammer to foil enemy spies

Britain has deployed a “world-leading” new ground-based satellite jammer to stop hostile nations spying on its military , it can be revealed.

A senior defence source said the state-of-the-art electronic warfare system had been operational for a year.

It works by dazzling enemy spy satellites and preventing them from sending data to the ground.

The platform, which has not been named, is believed to have protected special forces movements and defended military bases from espionage.

Revealing the system for the first time on Wednesday, a senior defence source said: “It is world-leading and we have already used it to deter our adversaries.”

The source declined to confirm which country’s technology had been targeted by the new jammer. However, top military chiefs have warned Russia and China pose an increasing risk to Britain and the wider Nato alliance.

The US revealed last week it had deployed a space weapon in Earth orbit to combat “evolving threats”, in a move condemned by Beijing, which accused the US of starting an “arms race” in space.

The UK does not have any weapons in space, and The Telegraph understands there is little appetite from British military chiefs to ever do so, with the move deemed irresponsible.

Instead Britain is using ground-based technology, which is being controlled by the newly formed No 3 Space Effects Squadron . Its mission is to defend satellites from hostile states.

The group was unveiled for the first time on Wednesday as the military seeks to strengthen its space force, which is already made up of No 1 Space Operations Squadron and No 2 Space Warning Squadron, which give the RAF the ability to watch and warn of threats in space .

Describing how the new unit’s jammer works, a senior defence source told The Telegraph: “Let’s say a potential adversary were using their satellites to control a capability they were using against us, we could use [our new system] to deny their ability to do that.”

News of the platform came as the head of the RAF warned that space was now facing an “unprecedented threat” from the likes of Russia.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth , the Chief of Air Staff, claimed Moscow had already launched hostile operations in space to target Nato satellites and disrupt GPS systems.

“Make no mistake, the satellite services you may have taken for granted now face unprecedented threat,” he told the Space and Power Conference in London on Wednesday.

Sir Harv said that in May this year, the Ministry of Defence had “tracked a series of unusual and significant manoeuvres by five Russian military satellites – moving to within rapid reach of two Finnish commercial satellites”.

The month – in June – it was confirmed a Russian satellite constellation had caused disruptions to GPS signals across Europe, Greenland and Canada over at least 75 days since 2019, he continued.

“These manoeuvres are uncommon and dangerous – raising serious questions Russia’s intent in space,” Sir Harv warned.

“Unfortunately, we are now seeing more and more irresponsible and provocative actions from our adversaries – in flagrant disregard of the norms for responsible behaviour by spacefaring nations.”

Wes Streeting, the Defence Secretary, insisted Britain must now “keep pace in the new space race”. He said failing to do so would leave the country vulnerable, warning a major attack on satellites providing GPS data could cost the UK economy “£1.4bn a day”.

“Things are moving at warp speed. We have to be ready for space as the battleground . And we are,” Mr Streeting said on Wednesday evening.

He continued: “Our adversaries are investing heavily in sci-fi weaponry that can take out our satellite systems and technology.

“Between 2019 and 2021, the combined Chinese and Russian operational satellite fleets grew by 70 per cent.

“This year, it was revealed that two Russian satellites had intercepted the communications of at least a dozen European ones since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“What this shows is that not only do our adversaries have the capability to threaten our national interests and national security, they also have the intent. And that requires us to act.”