Space Force to create new ISR capabilities

Joint-capabilities

17 May 2021

By: Liam Garman

Space Force to create new ISR capabilities

The head of the US Space Force General Jay Raymond confirmed that the US has begun production of moving target indicator satellites.

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Space Force has unveiled that a new constellation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites for moving target indication is currently being produced, however refrained detailing the budget of the program or any primes that are involved in the delivery.

Head of the Space Force, General Jay Raymond confirmed at the McAleese Conference that the service intends to support their Air Force, Navy and Army counterparts by providing ground moving target indicator – “GMTI” satellites to improve target identification, detection and monitoring.

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It is expected that the constellation of GMTI satellites will diversify the US military’s reliance on Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft, which undertake much of the US military’s GMTI. JSTARS were approved for US production in 1996, however had supported the US in 1991 as part of Operation Desert Storm.

By placing the satellites in orbit, the US military will diversify their current overreliance on airborne GMTI capabilities. It will further provide them freedom of movement over other nations, which traditional aircraft cannot provide.

According to Theresa Hitchens in Breaking Defense, the GMTI’s radar emits pulsing energy to detect the moving target and estimate determine their speed based on the frequency’s Doppler shift.

Due to ongoing secrecy of military ISR capabilities, it remains unknown when the project is expected to be completed.

Liam Garman

Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media

Liam began his career as a speech writer at New South Wales Parliament before working for world leading campaigns and research agencies in Sydney and Auckland. Throughout his career, Liam has managed and executed international media and communications campaigns spanning politics, business, industrial relations and infrastructure. He’s since shifted his attention to researching and writing extensively on geopolitics and defence. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Masters in Strategy and Security with Excellence from UNSW Canberra, with a thesis on post-truth, postmodernism and disinformation operations.

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