Russia is carrying out persistent attempts to jam British military satellites, the head of UK Space Command has warned.
Maj Gen Paul Tedman told the BBC that Russian forces are trying to disrupt the UK’s space operations on a “weekly” basis, closely tracking the country’s space assets and attempting to interfere with them.
“We’re seeing our satellites being jammed by the Russians on a reasonably persistent basis,” he said. Tedman added that the UK’s six dedicated military satellites, used for communications and surveillance, are equipped with counter-jamming technology to mitigate these threats.
He also explained that Russian satellites are actively monitoring British systems. “They’ve got payloads onboard that can see our satellites and are trying to collect information from them,” he said.
The warning comes as concerns grow about Russia’s increasing use of space as a front for military confrontation. In September, German defence minister Boris Pistorius confirmed that Russia had tracked two Intelsat satellites used by the German military, noting that Moscow has the ability to “jam, blind, manipulate or kinetically disrupt satellites.”
In response, the UK and US have stepped up cooperation on satellite defence. Between 4 and 12 September, a US satellite was manoeuvred in orbit to inspect a UK satellite and confirm its operational status. The exercise formed part of Operation Olympic Defender, a joint framework aimed at improving resilience against hostile space activity.
“Expertly executed with US Space Command, I could not be more pleased or proud of the rapid progress we are making with our allies,” Tedman said.
The escalation in space reflects wider tensions between Russia and the West. UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper said Britain was “ready to act” after US president Donald Trump urged NATO allies to respond more forcefully to Russian provocations.
Addressing the UN last month, Cooper criticised Moscow’s “provocative and reckless” violations of NATO airspace in recent weeks, including incidents over Estonia, Poland and Romania.
