The British military has been actively jamming or blocking satellites operated by other nations to defend itself against hostile space threats, according to defense sources. For the past year, the Royal Air Force has deployed a ground-based system designed “to deter our adversaries” and protect sensitive national security operations.
Defense officials indicate that the terrestrial capability could be deployed to prevent hostile satellites from monitoring the movements of the UK’s nuclear-armed submarines or specialized military missions. The Ministry of Defence also unveiled the new Space Effects Squadron, which will focus on disrupting and denying hostile activities in space.
Speaking at the UK Space Conference, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned that daily life heavily relies on space infrastructure that powers mobile telecommunications and banking systems. He estimated that a complete GPS failure would cost the British economy £1.4bn daily, noting that the scale, speed, and sophistication of threats from adversaries are rapidly escalating.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Harvey Smyth highlighted an increase in irresponsible and provocative actions by foreign nations. He pointed to an incident in May when the RAF tracked five Russian satellites executing dangerous maneuvers near two Finnish commercial satellites, as well as a separate event where a Russian constellation disrupted GPS signals across Europe and Canada.
While the United States recently confirmed deploying its own space defense mechanism—drawing condemnation from China and Russia over an accelerating space arms race—Washington has accused both nations of developing counter-space weapons including lasers, electronic jammers, and projectile systems.
The UK currently operates a limited number of military surveillance and communications satellites while collaborating closely with the much larger US Space Force. Officials warned that losing satellite capabilities would critically damage various sectors, severely disrupt emergency services response times, and hinder essential weather and climate monitoring. The report also notes that it comes as the UK unveils a new unit dedicated to defending the UK’s satellites in space – named the Space Effects Squadron. The report also notes that in a speech on Wednesday, Defence Secretary Wes Streeting said daily lives depend on satellites that power everyday technologies like mobile phones and banking apps, adding the loss of GPS would cost the UK economy £1.4bn a day. The report also notes that our dependency on space is precisely why it is increasingly under threat from our adversaries.” he said. The report also notes that energy supplies, and financial transactions to sat-navs, mobile phone connections, and Amazon deliveries,” said Streeting, adding that the loss of “everyday conveniences would undermine our daily freedoms, and trust in our institutions, we depend on them for everything from weather forecasts. The report also notes that last year the then head the UK’s Space Command said Russia was trying to jam UK satellites with ground based systems “every week”. The report also notes that and more”, the defence source described the UK’s terrestrial electronic warfare capability as “world leading.
