By BlueShift | 2025-09-12

A new jamming system designed to block adversary satellites and spacecraft from transmitting information about US forces during a conflict is being rolled out as part of a wider US Space Force (USSF) initiative to enhance security.

An initial batch of 11 ground-based remote modular terminal (RMT) jamming systems was approved for initial fielding late last year, of an estimated 160 units expected to enter service in the coming months.

The RMT system, developed through USSF's Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), complements two other jamming systems already in use: the much larger Counter Communications System and the mid-sized Meadowlands.

The new jammers are built to overwhelm signals to and from enemy satellites, including those used to target troops and equipment, per Defense News.

They send a signal to sever adversaries' communications by essentially "yelling in their ear," and aim to disrupt communications, kill chains and targeting links, according to Space RCO director Kelly Hammett.

"That's what these systems are intended to do: to block reception going either from, say, sensors that are looking at our joint forces and reporting up to a satellite and back to a battle management node, or vice versa," he said.

Operators control the terminals from undisclosed locations across the United States, even as the jammers are deployed around the world, he added.

The RMTs are small, relatively low cost -- around $1.5 million per unit -- and can be fielded in large numbers and operated remotely, according to the Space Training and Readiness Command.

Space RCO awarded contracts for the program in 2023, working with prime contractor Northstrat and CACI to use mostly readily available technology to offer a cost-effective solution.

"We intentionally designed a small and modular system using commercial off-the-shelf components," USSF said, according to Bloomberg News.

Revolutionizing space defense

"Imagine a crucial military satellite going dark mid-mission, its ability to relay critical information or target enemy positions completely negated," military news website SOFREP said in a May 1 report.

"This is the power the RMT promises to wield, offering a vital shield against potential attacks leveraging space-based infrastructure."

The RMT is "a timely response" and "a much-needed counterweight" to China's Near-Space Command, established in 2023 as the fifth force of the People's Liberation Army alongside the army, navy, air force and rocket force, it said.

The devices are not intended to shield US satellites from adversary jamming but rather to "responsibly counter adversary satellite communications capabilities that enable attacks," the USSF told Bloomberg News.

The RMT system is not designed to destroy satellites but only to disable them temporarily, officials say.

But they "are intended to attack rival capabilities," according to Secure World Foundation chief director of space security and stability Victoria Samson.

"You can argue that it will only be used defensively, but I would say that that is an offensive counterspace capability," Samson told Bloomberg News.

Countering China's Yaogan

By deploying the jammers, the United States aims to counter a slew of surveillance satellites launched by China in recent years.

China has "hundreds and hundreds of satellites on orbit designed to find, fix, track, target and yes, potentially engage, US and allied forces across the Indo-Pacific," according to US Space Command's Gen. Stephen Whiting.

"So we've got to understand that and know what it means for our forces," he said during the July 2024 Aspen Security Forum.

As of January 2024, China had placed 144 Yaogan surveillance satellites into orbit since the start of the program in 2006, with the number steadily growing.

Yaogan translates to "remote sensing."

The satellites, which provide continuous coverage of the Indo-Pacific region, are viewed as a growing threat to the United States and its allies and partners.

China in May added new spacecraft to two separate classified satellite series, including Yaogan, SpaceNews reported.

Chinese state media and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology have been tight-lipped about the program.

They have described the satellites only vaguely, saying they will be "mainly used for tests on new technologies for low-orbit constellations."