UK Stands Up First Squadron Built to Fight in Orbit

Britain will launch No III Space Effects Squadron, its first Royal Air Force unit dedicated to both offensive and defensive space operations. The unit, unveiled at the inaugural UK Space Power Conference in London, will protect satellites, warn of incoming missile attacks, and support operations in orbit, marking a formal step toward treating space as a contested warfighting domain.

The announcement follows warnings that other nations have been building up military capabilities in space. UK Space Command said last year that Russia was attempting to jam UK military satellites on a regular basis. The move also comes weeks after the release of a government strategy designed to strengthen defences against threats from space, which sets out funding of £7.8bn across the space sector up to 2030.

The new squadron will protect satellites used to warn of incoming missile attacks, provide communications and help guide ships, the Ministry of Defence said. It will bring together specialist personnel from across the armed forces to counter hostile activity in orbit. Two existing units, No I Space Operations Squadron and No II Space Warning Squadron, already allow the RAF to watch and warn of threats in space. The MoD said the new squadron would act against those threats, using advanced technology including electronic warfare to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile actions. It is intended to support offensive and defensive operations and will expand over time as new capabilities enter service.

Defence Secretary Wes Streeting will tell the conference that Britain needs to keep pace in the new space race. "Control of the waves was the essential ingredient in 19th-century deterrence," he will say. "That is why Britain built the finest naval power in history. In the 20th century it was control of the skies, and so we built a world class air force to protect us. This century will depend on control of space." The chief of the air staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth, will say: "Space no longer supports operations from the sidelines. It's a domain of direct competition, where our military advantage can be won or lost."

The UK has formally ruled out destructive anti-satellite missile testing. The government said it continues to work through the UN committee on the peaceful uses of outer space to promote norms, rules and principles of responsible space behaviours.

As stated by Streeting and Smyth, the squadron reflects the UK's view that space is now a domain of direct competition where military advantage can be won or lost, requiring a dedicated unit able to act against threats in orbit rather than simply watch and warn of them.

As part of the wider strategy, the SaxaVord Spaceport on the island of Unst, Shetland, at the northernmost point of the UK, is to receive a further £30m. Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has previously said the UK wanted to strengthen its ability to launch satellites. The squadron will expand over time as new capabilities enter service.