In addition to the pursuit of militarized anti-satellite capabilities by certain countries, Gen. Robert Kehler, head of Air Force Space Command, told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday that a number of simpler technologies from the Cold War are proliferating, including GPS jamming technology. He called the expansion of such technology “fairly wide,” with countries and even non-state actors able to buy rudimentary laser jammers capable of “dazzling” certain space sensors. There are a number of countries, Russia being one of the more prominent, he said, that produce jammers on the open market. Kehler added that the technology has progressed to the point where someone could conceivably construct the capability without a lot of technical competence. The Air Force is working hard to counter these capabilities, and the upcoming GPS III satellite will have more of a capability to combat these tools, he said.
The Air Force conducted its first successful test of the Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW, on May 14, snapping a streak of three consecutive failed tests and giving the beleaguered hypersonics program a much needed boost. Off the coast of Southern California, the AGM-183A ARRW separated from the wing…