Did the US Shoot Down a Russian Satellite?
- March 7th, 2009
- Posted in World
- By UJ
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[The following is a clip from "Space War: Russia and US in Satellite Shoot-out?" for Enduring America]
Experts, policy makers, and academics have been talking about hypothetical military combat in space for decades, particularly during the 1980s with the introduction of President Reagan’s so-called “Star Wars” program to shoot down Soviet nuclear missiles. However, there’s evidence to suggest that warfare in Earth’s orbit is very quickly accelerating from merely hypothetical to a strategic reality.
This week Russian Deputy Defense Minister Gen. Valentin Popovkin revealed that his country has been developing Anti-Satellite weapons technology, particularly “basic, key elements” needed to shoot down a satellite in near earth orbit. Regarding similar programs by the Americans and Chinese, Popovkin said, “We can’t sit back and quietly watch others doing…such work.”
Of course the Russians would have to emulate any military program that both the US and China have, but this isn’t your everyday imperial arms race. They think the US already shot down one of their satellites.
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