Russia is jamming UK military satellites on a regular basis, according to the head of UK Space Command.
Major General Paul Tedman said Russian forces are actively trying to disrupt UK-based military activities ‘weekly’ and are closely monitoring the country’s space assets.
‘We’re seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis,’ he told the BBC.
He added: ‘They’ve got payloads on board that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them.’
It comes after Munich Airport was forced to close overnight when multiple drones were spotted near the runways, grounding 17 departures, diverting 15 incoming flights and affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, before operations resumed early the next morning.
Similar shutdowns in Scandinavia last week saw Copenhagen halt all take-offs and landings for nearly four hours after two or three large drones were reported, while Oslo closed its airspace for about three hours.
Authorities have not formally attributed responsibility and investigations are ongoing, several officials have spoken about the possibility of Vladimir Putin’s involvement.
The threat of space-based interference is not limited to the UK.
Major Paul Tedman stands outside the Solid State Phased Array Radar at RAF Fylingdales. He has warned that Russia has been attempting to jam military satellites in the UK
In September, German defence minister Boris Pistorius revealed that Russia had been tracking two Intelsat satellites used by the German military.
‘They can jam, blind, manipulate, or kinetically disrupt satellites,’ he said at a space conference in Berlin.
In response to growing international tensions, the United Kingdom and the United States conducted their first coordinated satellite manoeuvre in space last month, in what defence officials hailed as a major step forward in allied cooperation.
Between September 4 and 12, a US satellite was repositioned in orbit to inspect a UK satellite and confirm it was functioning properly, under the umbrella of Operation Olympic Defender.
‘Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies,’ Major General Tedman said.
‘We are now, with our allies, conducting advanced orbital operations to protect and defend our shared national and military interests in space.’
The escalation in space comes as tensions with Russia continue to rise.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper last week warned that Britain is ‘ready to act’ after Donald Trump publicly urged Nato allies to shoot down intruding Russian aircraft.
In a speech to the United Nations in September, Ms Cooper condemned Moscow’s ‘provocative and reckless’ violations of Nato airspace in recent weeks, including incidents over Estonia, Poland, and Romania.
Passengers stranded at Munich airport today amid cancellations after drone sightings. Similar incidents have been reported across Scandinavian airports
Vladimir Putin has been accused of provoking NATO countries in recent weeks
Estonia says three Russian MiG-31s violated its airspace near Vaindloo Island for around 12 minutes, a claim Moscow denies.
Poland reported that 19 objects entered its airspace during a large Russian attack on Ukraine and said it shot down those posing a threat, with Warsaw triggering NATO’s Article 4 consultations.
Donald Tusk, Poland’s prime minister warned Russia that he would shoot down any hostile objects found in his country’s airspace.
Other NATO leaders have also urged the organisation to do more to deter Putin and defend the airspace of member nations.
Russia, however, has warned that the shooting down of any of its aircrafts would result in direct conflict.
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