UK launches first space squadron to ‘degrade and deny’ enemies

Computer generated image of a Skynet 5D satellite. (UK MoD)

BELFAST — UK Chief of the Air Staff announced today that Britain will stand up a new space squadron focused on countering enemy threats and defending local “interests.”

“No. 3 SES [Space Effects Squadron] will disrupt, degrade and deny hostile activity,” said Harv Smyth , as he announced the move at the UK Space Power Conference in London. Run by “specialist personnel” the squadron will take on offensive and defensive space missions, he added.

“No one wants a war in space. We are positioned to deter this,” said Smyth, but he warned that the UK is witnessing “more and more irresponsible and provocative actions” from its enemies across the domain.

The announcement comes just days after senior US military officials shocked the space world by acknowledging it currently has on-orbit “space control weapons capable of defending the joint force against hostile adversary action.”

For the UK, No. 3 SES is an addition to the No. 1 Space Ops Squadron that teams with the National Space Operations Centre to track hazardous objects and the No. 2 Space Warning Squadron, established to provide missile warning and space tracking capabilities.

“We are planning more” squadrons, said Smyth, noting that an expansion program building out 4, 5, and 6 squadrons will include a space tactics and training branch, in addition to “squadrons which will deliver the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability.”

According to the UK MoD, the UK-US-Australia Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) program sits as the “cornerstone” of Britain’s capacity to detect and track items such as satellites, space debris and asteroids in Earth orbit. “The use of three sites for DARC (in the UK, US and Australia) will enable 360 degree coverage of the sky at all times of day and under any weather conditions,” states a MoD overview of the effort. Without disclosing additional details, Smyth also indicated that a “Space Defence function” will be developed as “part of the newly established Integrated Air, Space and Missile Defence Operations Centre.”

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The future hub is an upgrade to the UK’s national air and missile defense operations center and fits within a £400 million ($530 million) Defence Investment Plan (DIP) commitment to replace aging C2 systems and sensors. The document, which lays out long-term UK defense spending and budget priorities, commits an “initial investment” of £40 million to the modernized center.

More broadly, the DIP allocates £3.2 billion in support of space capabilities over the next four years. Funding is split between £2.3 billion for satellite communications and £880 million to cover space-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR).

From 2030 to 2035, the UK plans on spending a minimum of £9 billion on “new capabilities” for the space domain, according to the DIP. As Breaking Defense reported earlier this month, the recently unveiled UK 2027-2035 national space strategy put forward an interagency spending plan of “more than” £7.8 billion out to 2030.

Skynet 5D卫星的计算机生成图像。（英国国防部）

贝尔法斯特——英国空军参谋长今天宣布，英国将组建一支新的太空中队，专注于应对敌方威胁和捍卫当地“利益”。

“第3太空效应中队（No. 3 SES）将干扰、削弱并阻止敌对活动，”哈维·史密斯在伦敦举行的英国太空力量大会上宣布这一举措时说道。他还补充说，该中队由“专业人员”组成，将承担进攻性和防御性太空任务。

“没有人希望太空战争爆发。我们有能力阻止这种情况发生，”史密斯说，但他警告说，英国正目睹其敌人在整个太空领域“越来越不负责任和挑衅性的行动”。

就在几天前，美国高级军官震惊了太空界，他们承认美国目前在轨拥有“太空控制武器，能够保护联合部队免受敌对势力的攻击”。

对于英国而言，第 3 太空紧急支援中队是第 1 太空作战中队（与国家太空作战中心合作追踪危险物体）和第 2 太空预警中队（为提供导弹预警和太空跟踪能力而成立）的补充。

史密斯说：“我们正在计划组建更多中队”，并指出，扩建计划将组建 4、5 和 6 个中队，其中包括太空战术和训练部门，以及“提供深空先进雷达能力的中队”。

据英国国防部称，英美澳深空先进雷达能力（DARC）项目是英国探测和追踪地球轨道上卫星、太空碎片和小行星等目标的“基石”。英国国防部在一份项目概述中指出：“DARC项目在英国、美国和澳大利亚设有三个站点，将实现全天候、无天气条件下360度全方位覆盖天空。” 史密斯在未透露更多细节的情况下还表示，将建立“太空防御功能”，作为“新成立的综合空天导弹防御作战中心”的一部分。

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未来的枢纽是对英国国家防空和导弹防御作战中心的升级改造，符合英国国防投资计划（DIP）中4亿英镑（5.3亿美元）的承诺，该计划旨在更换老化的指挥控制系统和传感器。这份阐述英国长期国防开支和预算优先事项的文件承诺为现代化中心投入4000万英镑的“初始投资”。

更广泛地说，国防投资计划（DIP）将在未来四年内拨款32亿英镑用于支持太空能力建设。这笔资金将分为两部分：23亿英镑用于卫星通信，8.8亿英镑用于天基情报、监视和侦察（ISR）。

据国防情报局（DIP）称，英国计划在2030年至2035年间，至少投入90亿英镑用于太空领域的“新能力”建设。正如《防务新闻》（Breaking Defense）本月早些时候报道，英国近期公布的2027-2035年国家太空战略提出了一项跨部门支出计划，到2030年，支出将“超过”78亿英镑。