Britain’s new space force ‘could send RAF fighter jets to edge of space’
BRITAIN's budding new space force could catapult RAF Typhoon fighter jets to the "edge of space" soon to sabotage enemy satellites, senior military sources have said.
Specialised training missions will be held for an elite squad of fighter pilots by Space Command, specifically aimed at overthrowing Chinese and Russian military, intelligence and communication satellites during wartime.
The specifically selected "Top Gun" pilots will take part in simulated exercises before embarking on training flights, climbing up to 40,00ft on a 20,000ft vertical climb, The Express revealed.
During real-life warfare, Typhoon pilots would deploy anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles at 60,000ft before relinquishing to lower heights.
The promising plans come just weeks after Former RAF Typhoon pilot, Air Commodore Paul Godfrey OBE, was announced as the head of the UK's new Space Command.
The new wing of the Armed Forces, originally announced last November, pledges to "protect and promote the United Kingdom's interests in space, working with like-minded allies around the world for the benefit of all."
Both Russia and China have already created ASAT missiles that can destroy GPS and telecommunication satellites and that are ground, sea, and air-based.
Russia have so far shown their spaced-based system that is thought to have been launched from another satellite as well as direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles that are fired from the ground.
China possesses ground-based missiles that can fire at satellites moving in "low Earth orbit", the Pentagon confirmed last year.
One RAF Marshal warned it would be "tantamount to negligence" if the UK did not equip itself for potential warfare in space.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston said, "A future conflict may not start in space but I am in no doubt it will transition very quickly to space, and it may even be won or lost in space.
"So we have to be ready to protect and, if necessary, defend our critical national interests. We have already seen nations such as China, Russia and others developing anti-satellite capabilities.
"If we don't think and prepare today, we won't be ready when the time comes."
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The UK is reportedly leading discussions amongst the UN to clarify responsible practices in space, as RAF sources said it would be "folly not to explore fully the capabilities required for satellite denial."
The ambition to adequately prepare for future off-Earth conflict comes amid a string of countries announcing huge space program launches, powered by huge sums of cash.
Most recently, Japan announced the £300m Space Domain Mission Unit, which will similarly safeguard the country’s interstellar assets, such as satellites.
