The U.S. Space Force is testing a new ground-based satellite jamming weapon to help keep U.S. military personnel safe from potential “space-enabled” attacks.
The tests were conducted by Space Training and Readiness Command, or STARCOM, which is responsible for educating and training U.S. Space Force personnel. The satellite jammer is known as the Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) and, like other jammers, is designed to deny, degrade, or disrupt communications with satellites overhead, typically through overloading specific portions of the electromagnetic spectrum with interference.
The RMT is “small form-factor system designed to be fielded in large numbers at low-cost and operated remotely” according to Space Force statement. Specifically, the RMT will “unlock the scale to provide counterspace electronic warfare capability to all of the new Space Force components globally,” Lt. Col. Gerrit Dalman said in the statement, meaning it can be used from virtually anywhere to deny adversaries the use of satellites orbiting overhead.
Details about the test are scarce, but Space Force’s statement explains that two RMT units were installed at separate locations and controlled by a third. The jammer was evaluated according to metrics such as “system latency” and “target engagement accuracy,” as well as for how secure its communications were.
Guardians and an Airman during a test of the Space Force’s Remote Modular Terminal (RMT) in Colorado Springs, Colo., April 4, 2024. (Image credit: U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Charles Rivezzo)
The need for new space-based and counterspace technologies has been stressed by Space Force leadership in recent months.
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According to a slide deck the Space Rapid Capabilities Office presented to industry in October 2023, these jammers are “small transportable systems that can be emplaced in both garrison and austere environments,” meaning they can be used whether infrastructure is present or not.
