There is very little information about this alleged program – what do you think it could be, what kind of weapon or ability could it be?
I consider any mention of Russia’s military activities in space to be completely real. The space weapons program of the former Soviet Union was extensive, and the Russians need only follow it up – according to economic possibilities. To summarize, Russia’s space military capabilities may be based primarily on a laser program capable of engaging targets in space from the ground. The research on this topic was really extensive, in Kazakhstan near the city of Sara Shagan, the giant Terra-3 complex still stands today, where an extra powerful laser capable of attacking space objects, e.g. destroying satellites in orbit, was supposed to be placed during Soviet times. There is even one documented, but not entirely proven, attempt to attack one of the US space shuttles with this system. It sounds like a hoax, but it was taken seriously at the time, and there were even some official notes between the US and Soviet governments about it.
Also, the Russians never finished developing super-powerful missiles capable of attacking targets in space. This is already a 100% verified reality; of course, the scope is not the same as in Soviet times, but we know for sure that the research continues. The third is directly about space systems that are primarily intended to attack other space systems, in simple terms, combat satellites that are supposed to attack other satellites. This development is also well documented and was thought to have had a branch that made it possible to attack not only space objects but also ground objects from space. If you’ve seen the Bond movie The Golden Eye, that scenario might not be so far from the truth.
How can the Russians be so far ahead of development?
According to what they develop. They can be very far indeed, because they have something to build on from the Soviet era. All the basic research was done in the 1960s and 1970s, and later projects only improved what was already known. If the Russians focused funding on one of these programs, for example the very ambitious Poljus space combat station program, I would not be surprised at all. And I say this completely objectively, without any attempt at sensationalism. Soviet programs simply gave them a large base.
If the Russians kept those projects, or scrapped them – which I wouldn’t be surprised at all, since Putin is known to be obsessed with the militarization of space, see Russian investments in hypersonic and aero-ballistic technologies – maybe they really are headed for some kind of space program with purely military use.
Which other countries may have similar capabilities?
Definitely the United States, it is well known that, for example, the space shuttles are not a purely civilian project. The People’s Republic of China is certainly trying something similar. India, Israel, and probably other technologically advanced countries (Japan, Germany, France, Britain) apparently have the ability to shoot down satellites from the ground. The purely military use of space will certainly currently revolve mainly around the USA and Russia, which are continuing projects from the Cold War, and the ambitious China.
What do such weapons mean for the battlefield of the future?
It’s a completely new situation. According to international conventions, the deployment of weapons in space is strictly prohibited, however, as you can see, some countries do not make much of it. Putin’s Russia, which became a kind of “rogue state” after 2014, is apparently really restoring the old Soviet capabilities and continuing to develop them, because it is one of the few domains where it can be better than NATO. It does not beat it even in nuclear potential and certainly not in conventional, space is therefore a domain that Russia can greatly strengthen. Specifically, if they had space-based nuclear weapons, which I wouldn’t rule out at least on a conceptual or prototype basis, it could give them the ability to strike large-scale and very quickly. Against launching missiles from the ground or from bombers in the air, in this case the most time-consuming necessity to deliver the missile to the top of the ballistic curve is eliminated. However, it is also necessary to point out here that such armaments are extremely expensive, and even with a large concentration of resources, Russia will not be able to reach the capabilities of China or the US, so I would guess that they are focusing on one or two specific programs (one of which is definitely anti-space missiles launched from the ground).
What might a possible counterweapon look like?
There are two countermeasures. On the one hand, ground systems (missiles, lasers) that are capable of shooting down individual nuclear warheads, on the other hand, direct space assets – satellites, shuttles, etc. By the way, this is certainly one of the reasons why the Chinese are building their own space station – military use.
