VLADIMIR Putin’s warmongering has soared to new heights – threatening to deploy nukes in space and spark all-out war.
From satellite stalking to “shrapnel cloud” missiles, experts say an orbital conflict is a real threat – because Vlad has so little to lose.
Victoria Sampson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, told The Sun: “It’s very possible that Russia could start a war in space.
“There are intelligence reports that Russia is thought to be working on a nuclear warhead that if it were to be put into space on a satellite would be a very crude but extremely effective anti-satellite weapon.”
If the Russians detonated a nuke in low orbit, it would likely destroy more than 80 per cent of the satellites in space.
It could also wipe out internet, mobile phone signal and GPS for much of the world.
Head of US Space Command General Stephen Whiting told The Times he is “very concerned” about the Kremlin’s nuclear plan.
In recent years, the Kremlin has demonstrated its ability to use dangerous high velocity co-orbital space capabilities.
Moscow could use its own satellite as a weapon by deploying one up close to another country’s satellite.
When in range, Putin’s crack space hit squad could then release objects at a high velocity to target the rival satellite.
“It’s basically like spraying it with bullets or a gun,” Victoria said. “The idea is you can send a message to another country saying ‘hey, if you’re going to be interfering with us, we can shoot down one of your satellites’.”
But Victoria believes war-hungry Putin would only start a war in space as “an end of days ‘Putin in the bunker’ type of scenario”.
Despite this, Victoria warns that there are already key signs Putin may be willing to take war to space.
“Russia has demonstrated the ability to blow up its own satellites in orbit from another satellite that’s in orbit,” she explained.
“They’ve also been able to launch an interceptor from the ground to directly hit a satellite to show off destructive counter space capabilities.
“They definitely are already doing jamming and sweeping.
“The jamming is interfering with any kind of electronic broadcasting and sweeping is basically swapping out information that’s being broadcast.
“And Russia’s very good about interfering with GPS. We’re seeing a lot of situations where civil aviation is having a trouble using GPS because it’s interfered with in the Baltics.”
Victoria admits she is fearful of Russia’s space plans due to how little they have to lose should they strike first.
Moscow has just 370 satellites up in space compared to the US who have about 11,000 and China who have around 1,000.
Russia is currently involved with the national space station, meaning they have researchers on the International Space Station (ISS).
But the ISS is expected to go out of service within the next five or six years – and it leaves Russia with no space base to test or station scientists.
Victoria said: “Russia used to be a global space power but its currently a failing state.
“Their civil space systems are going through corruption and quality control issues. They don’t have a commercial space sector to speak of.
“But I think it could be more of an incentive for Russia to interfere with space because they have less to lose in terms of numbers.
“They have a lot less physical infrastructure in space that could be interfered with, lowering the impact of a conflict.”
The discrepancy between Russia’s space capabilities and their superpower rivals has a second advantage.
Victoria said: “Space is really important for a lot of countries as a national security enabler but the more countries depend upon space, the more of an incentive it is for their adversaries to deny, degrade, disrupt, destroy, or somehow intervene with our ability to use space.”
Last year, British Space Command boss Major General Paul Tedman warned that Russia had been trying to jam the UK’s military satellites on a weekly basis.
Putin has also been eavesdropping on satellites used by European armies, Germany’s defence minister said.
Back in May, Putin was even accused of knocking out the GPS signal of an RAF jet carrying the then-UK Defence Secretary John Healey.
Victoria continued: “The West is definitely taking these sort of threats of space capabilities seriously.
“That’s why you’re seeing such an increase in terms of countries creating their own military space organisations.”
The Kremlin has refused to respond to any of the allegations.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16679326/putin-plotting-space-war-nuclear-weapons-orbit/
