2024-02-16 11:41:05
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russia is developing a new space weapon, but experts believe that this weapon will use nuclear energy to attack satellites, rather than a nuclear warhead that would blow them up. It is likely to be a type that disables embedded electronic devices. The photo shows President Putin visiting the facilities of the state-run Rocket & Space Corporation (RSC) Energia on the outskirts of Moscow. Representative photo taken in October last year (2024 Reuters)
[ワシントン １５日 ロイター] – U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Russia is developing a new space weapon, but experts believe that this weapon does not use a nuclear warhead to blow up a satellite, but instead uses nuclear energy to destroy a satellite. It is likely to be of the type that disables electronic devices built into the device.
Russia’s development of new space weapons came to light on the 14th when Mike Turner (Republican), chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, issued an unusual statement warning that Russia is developing a new space weapon. did.
A source familiar with the matter said Washington has received new information about Russia’s nuclear capabilities and space weapons program, but added that Russia’s new capabilities do not pose an immediate threat to the United States. US Secretary of State Blinken expressed a similar view on the 15th.
Experts familiar with Russia’s space program believe that Russia’s new weapon is not a nuclear warhead, but rather a high-powered device that requires nuclear energy to target satellites. For example, devices that can interfere with satellite signals or disable image sensors may be used, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) devices can be used to disable all electronic equipment on a satellite in a specific orbit using powerful electromagnetic waves. There is a possibility.
Darryl Kimball, chairman of the Arms Control Association, a US think tank, said: “Russia is not developing a weapon with a nuclear warhead, but rather a nuclear-powered system that can carry out electronic warfare once in orbit…” There is a high possibility.”
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said in a 2023 report that Russia has not only developed weapons that target individual satellites, but also “high-powered systems capable of damaging the internal structures of all satellites.” I pointed out that there seemed to be.
On the 15th, the Russian government denied the United States’ warning about the country’s space weapons development, calling it a “malicious fabrication.”See more
Non-nuclear anti-satellite weapons have been in development for years, and in 2021 Russia followed the lead of the United States, China and India in testing anti-satellite missiles targeting aging satellites. .
However, bombing a satellite with nuclear weapons is completely different from such non-nuclear missiles.
Brian Weeden, an analyst at the Secure World Foundation, said if Russia detonated a nuclear weapon in space, it could have profound implications for both military and commercial satellites and undermine Russia’s credibility. “For the past 40 years, Russia has strongly criticized the United States for wanting to weaponize space and deploy weapons in outer space, and has said that Russia would never do that. If you do, you’ll lose everything.”
James Acton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank, said it would be a “blatant violation of the United Nations Outer Space Treaty” if Russia deployed nuclear weapons in orbit.
The Outer Space Treaty, which went into effect in 1967, prohibits “placing objects carrying nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit around the Earth,” and is also signed by the United States and Russia.
Acton said Russia’s violation of the Outer Space Treaty would further undermine U.S. and Russian disarmament efforts. Russia suspended implementation of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) with the United States in 2023.
Experts say anti-satellite weapons not only cripple military and commercial communications and impair the military’s ability to operate, but also disrupt the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is used in everything from ride-hailing to food delivery services. There is a risk that it will become unusable.
“Russia believes that if we don’t have access to our satellites, we’re blind, and this may be true,” said a former senior U.S. intelligence official. “It’s a big advantage, but it’s also a big weakness,” he said, expressing concern about the wide-ranging impact if a satellite were attacked.
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