The Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite is the U.S. military's most secure means for global communications. However, The Defense Intelligence Agency says China is attempting to develop methods for jamming its signals. Wikipedia
National Defense: JUST IN: Space Commander Warns Chinese Lasers Could Blind U.S. Satellites
China is developing new directed energy weapons that could degrade American satellites during a future crisis, the leader of the newly formed U.S. Space Command said Sept 27.
“We're pretty comfortable [in asserting] that they are developing directed energy weapons — probably building lasers to blind our satellites,” said Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, who is dual-hatted as commander of Spacecom and Air Force Space Command. “They also are developing pretty robust on-orbit capabilities that are very complex that could also have a dual-use purpose.”
“It's clear that China would plan to use those threats against us in conflict," he added.
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Update: China Could Blind U.S. Satellites With Lasers (Popular Mechanics)
WNU Editor: Those lasers must be incredibly powerful, and the Pentagon is responding .... Secret Pentagon Space Program Driven By Fear Of China (Forbes). I am old enough to remember when President Reagan initiated his "Star Wars' anti-missile initiative, when it came to lasers and particle-bean weapons the experts were saying that this was impossible.
One might want to demand, who was asleep in the Presidency, DOD and US Intelligence agencies while China begged, stole or bought the technology fueling its Great Leap Forward in technology?
ReplyDeleteWell for starters, Bill Clinton's team, George Bush's team and Barack Obama's team. That's 24 years of the USA selling itself out for Chinese cash.
Nobody will be held accountable for it. Exactly how democracy dies in the darkness.
So retarded
ReplyDeleteJoe,
ReplyDeleteYes, you are.
Anon
ReplyDeleteI think Joe was agreeing with you and you chose to insult him. Idjit.
For the record this is not lasers in the way that the "Star Wars" program would have used them. For one, ground-based lasers are vastly easier to power/fuel than space based ones, but more importantly, this is not "blind" as in "melt". This is just like shining a laser beam in someone's eyes. It's hard to do at long distance and is a technical accomplishment to be sure, but it's nowhere near what's required to destroy an incoming nuclear warhead. SDI was a ridiculous waste of money in every way except goading the Soviets into wasting money and it still wouldn't work with technology now 40 years later.
ReplyDeleteNot space related, but, I understand that when a drone calls in an attack a missile is launched from far away facility. The incoming missile is guided by a laser beam projected on the target by the drone. Assuming the target knew a missile was incoming, I wonder if a defense against such attacks might be to have some ability to project numerous laser beams on other "safe" spots in the near vicinity of the target to confuse the tracking mechanism in the incoming missile. Perhaps even to project laser beams on the drone.
ReplyDelete