Russia jamming UK military satellites on a weekly basis, defence chief warnsChristopher Jasper
The TelegraphFri, October 3, 2025 at 1:43 AM EDT
3 min read
Maj Gen Paul Tedman said a fifth of UK GDP is reliant on satellite services - Asadour GuzelianRussia is jamming Britain’s military satellites on a weekly basis, the head of the UK Space Command has revealed.
Maj Gen Paul Tedman claimed that Moscow is using ground-based systems to routinely target Britain’s satellite technology in an effort to collect information.
He told the BBC that the jamming activity was occurring on a “persistent basis”.
It comes after Boris Pistorius, Germany’s defence minister, warned last month that Russia was also shadowing its orbiters.
However, Maj Gen Paul Tedman said that while Russia may have “more will” to target Western satellites right now, China’s push to become the most powerful force in space poses the bigger threat.
He told The Telegraph: “The capabilities that are most sophisticated and advanced are Chinese. We are in a competition. We are working hard to retain our strategic advantage in space, but it’s close.
“As we went into the strategic defence review last year I think we recognised that our assumptions had been outpaced by the threat and the technology.”
An attack on commercial and military satellites would be devastating for the UK’s economy and the country’s war-fighting capabilities, Maj Gen Tedman warned.
He said a fifth of GDP is reliant on satellite services and a knockout blow to the UK’s military communications satellites, known as Skynet, would leave the country’s armed forces vulnerable.
The UK has previously earmarked just £1.45bn for space defence over the next decade, whereas the US plans to spend $40bn (£30bn) on its Space Force next year alone.
Maj Gen Tedman said he is waiting on the Government’s defence investment plan, due this autumn, “to release the total investment that we are expecting or hope for”.
Russia and China’s combined satellite fleet has increased 70pc in size over the past two decades, with more launches expected in the next 10 years than the previous seven combined.
Hostile activity in space now ranges from the basic jamming of satellites to Russian plans to fit orbiting craft with nuclear warheads.
He said: “We’re seeing all those things for real. They’re no longer science fiction. We as a nation need to understand that and be prepared to deal with it.”
RAF Fylingdales supports the UK and US with a solid state phased array radar system (SSPARS) - Asadour GuzelianMaj Gen Tedman spoke at RAF Fylingdales in Yorkshire, a Cold War-era early warning station.
The site still scans for Russian missiles but now also plays a key global role in the surveillance of satellites in low and medium Earth orbit up to 5,500kn (3,400 miles).
The first new tranche of investment in space defence will see £500,000 devoted to technology able to identify when satellites are being targeted with ground or space-based lasers, the Ministry of Defence revealed Friday.
Maj Gen Tedman said concerns are becoming focused on the defence of satellites – including the Skynet array – which orbit 36,000km above the Earth.
The Government confirmed last year that 27 radar dishes will be erected in Wales as part of Britain’s commitment to the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC), which will more accurately identify and track satellites.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/space-threat-china-poses-dangers-054324772.html
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