APOGEE STAFF
The electronic electromagnetic jamming system known as Meadowlands, which will help the U.S. Space Force defend against Chinese and Russian satellites, has been scheduled for delivery after two years of delays, the Space Force said.
The system, developed by L3Harris Technologies Inc., is a lighter-weight mobile version of the military’s Counter Communications System (CCS). It was originally set for deployment in October 2022 but was delayed due to technical problems, according to Bloomberg News. In addition, a software upgrade was added to enable the system to jam more frequencies.
As of September 2024, Meadowlands had completed all system-level verification testing and is on track for delivery in 2025, Space Systems Command (SSC) said in a statement to the news service. The Space Force is now set to assess the first five of a planned 32 weapons during the first quarter of 2025. If deemed combat ready, they would be turned over to the Space Force’s electronic warfare unit, Space Delta 3, the SSC said.
“The Meadowlands system will have significant upgrades in terms of technical performance, and simpler logistics for deployment and sustainment,” L3Harris said in a statement. “Verification testing took longer than anticipated,” the contractor said, adding that L3Harris has now completed verification tests.
Electromagnetic jammers are designed to inflict temporary damage. Meadowlands was designed specifically to help warfighters counter the growing number of space systems deployed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia. The PRC now operates more than 300 remote sensing comprehensive satellites, according to a January 2024 Space Force assessment. While Russia operates some of the world’s most capable remote sensing satellites, it has fewer of them on orbit compared with the U.S. and the PRC, the report said.
The first CCS, known as Block 10.0, was initially deployed in 2004 with three systems; more units have been fielded over the years as they received upgrades. By increasing the number of jammers, including mobile systems, the Space Force aims to create a comprehensive coverage area where adversaries have no access to satellite communications or navigational assistance. Russia operates a navigation system called GLONASS, while the PRC fields BeiDou.