China said to be developing anti-satellite lasers to blind U.S. reconnaissance and targeting satellites
WASHINGTON – China is building destructive space weapons that will blind U.S. reconnaissance satellites, a new intelligence report has revealed. Newsweek reports. Continue reading original article
The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:
22 April 2021 -- "China has already fielded ground-based [Anti-Satellite weapons] missiles intended to destroy satellites in [low Earth orbit] and ground-based ASAT lasers probably intended to blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors on LEO satellites," according to an annual threat assessment report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The report assessed threats to the U.S., ranging from issues like the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, terror organizations, weapons of mass destruction, and nation-state competitors like China and Russia.
One key realm in which the ODNI has identified China to have an especially aggressive hold is its anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons, which China has prepared its militaries to use to destroy U.S. satellites.
Related: Optical warfare: technology emerges to see the enemy, and to blind him
John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics
