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UK space squadron to guard against 'unprecedented threats' against satellites
The unit will use electronic warfare and other countermeasures as the government says hostile states are developing ways to jam or disable satellites.
- On Wednesday, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth announced the III Space Effects Squadron at the UK Space Power Conference, where Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warned the UK must "keep pace in the new space race."
- The new unit joins the Royal Air Force's growing UK Space Command, established at RAF High Wycombe in 2021, as the Strategic Defence Review emphasizes that operating in space underpins British security, prosperity, and daily life.
- Acting against threats using electronic warfare, the squadron completes a trio including No. I Space Operations Squadron and No. II Space Warning Squadron, while Britain remains committed to peaceful orbital norms, formally ruling out destructive anti-satellite missile testing.
- Alongside the announcement, the government restated an £880 million investment between 2026/27 and 2029/30 for space control activities, and SaxaVord Spaceport will receive £30 million in support to strengthen satellite launch capabilities.
- The Defence Investment Plan committed to the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability, a trilateral programme with the United States and Australia that will provide continuous radar coverage of geostationary orbit.
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Britain wants to use a new air force squadron to tackle threats in space.
·Germany
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The unit will be called No. III Space Effects Squadron and will join two other squadrons created in 2023.
·Guayaquil, Ecuador
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'Space Is a Warfighting Domain': RAF Chief Warns Britain Faces a New Battlefield Above Earth
Britain has created a new RAF space unit to counter hostile activity in orbit, while officials warn that satellite disruption threatens military operations and the wider UK economy.
·United Kingdom
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The British Royal Air Force launched the Space Effects Squadron No. 3 (No. III), the first dedicated unit to address satellite threats to the United Kingdom.
·Syrian Arab Republic (the)
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Britain must 'keep pace in the new space race,' says Defense Secretary Wes Streeting
·Ankara, Türkiye
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Total News Sources69
Leaning Left9Leaning Right13Center10Last UpdatedBias Distribution41% Right
Bias Distribution
- 41% of the sources lean Right
41% Right
L 28%
C 31%
R 41%
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