Russia regularly tries to jam signals from British military satellites, the head of UK Space Command, Major General Paul Tedman, said, quoted by PA Media/DPA.
In an interview with the BBC, Tedman said that Russian forces "every week" seek to disrupt British military operations and are closely monitoring the country's space assets. "Our satellites are being deliberately jammed by the Russians," he added.
The UK has six military communications and surveillance satellites equipped with anti-jamming technology. But British spacecraft are not the only target. Last month, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Russia had been monitoring two Intelsat satellites used by the Bundeswehr. “They can jam, manipulate and cause kinetic disturbances to satellites,” Pistorius told a news conference in Berlin.
In response to the growing threats, Britain and the United States held their first joint space maneuvers last month. Military personnel from both countries praised the exercise as a significant step towards strengthening cooperation in the defense of orbital systems.
Between September 4 and 12, a U.S. satellite inspected a British spacecraft as part of Operation Olympic Defender, a joint satellite defense project.
“I am proud of the progress made together with our allies,” General Tedman said. “We now conduct cutting-edge operations in orbit together to safeguard and defend our shared national and military interests in space.“