The Royal Air Force is forming No. III Space Effects Squadron, the UK’s first unit dedicated to countering hostile activity in orbit. Unveiled at the UK Space Power Conference, the new squadron will help protect satellites used for navigation, communications and missile warning, while adding an active counterspace capability to the RAF’s expanding military space structure.
The unit joins No. I Space Operations Squadron and No. II Space Warning Squadron, which track activity and alert commanders to threats in space. No. III Space Effects Squadron will go further, using specialist personnel from across the armed forces and advanced technology, including electronic warfare, to disrupt, degrade and deny hostile actions. The move comes as the Ministry of Defence describes space as more crowded and more dangerous, with adversaries developing ways to jam, disable or interfere with satellite systems. UK Space Command, created in 2021, has been building the country’s space domain awareness and warning capabilities, and the new squadron is intended to support both defensive and offensive operations.