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US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink’s statement that Washington possesses orbital weapons for space control could refer to space-to-space missiles or laser systems, according to military analyst and air defense historian Yury Knutov.
Knutov believes the United States may be returning to technologies that were actively developed during the second half of the 20th century before such programs were later suspended.
He noted that space weapons projects date back to the 1960s. At that time, the Soviet Union developed a system designed to intercept enemy satellites directly in orbit. This was followed by interceptor missiles that could be launched from fighter aircraft to strike spacecraft.
Such programs were frozen in the 1980s after Moscow and Washington agreed not to pursue an arms race in space.
Knutov said the situation has since changed. He linked the renewed US focus on military space systems to Washington’s withdrawal from agreements related to missile defense and strategic arms limitations, arguing that the United States is seeking a technological advantage.
In an interview with Gazeta.ru, the analyst said Meink could have been referring to space-to-space missiles designed to destroy military or other hostile spacecraft. He also named laser weapons as another possibility, pointing to US demonstrations of combat lasers and electromagnetic guns about two months earlier that could potentially be installed on spacecraft.
Knutov explained that space-to-space missiles could operate as relatively small weapons carried aboard one orbital platform and used to strike another object in space.
He added that the United States had already worked on similar concepts in the 1980s and that development in this field had reached a serious level.
On September 14, US Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said the United States possesses orbital weapons intended to control space.