The US State Department accused Russia of deploying laser weapons in space. This was stated by Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Ilim Poblet. According to her, our country has already put into orbit a combat system capable of destroying American satellites. True, the evidence of this fact was never presented. According to the diplomat, such actions are not consistent with the statements made by Moscow.
This is not the first demarche of American officials about the space threat. A few months ago, they complained about Russian satellites that perform incomprehensible maneuvers in orbit. In this case, Washington is currently engaged in the creation of space forces. President Trump and other representatives of the American establishment have repeatedly spoken on this subject.
The idea of locating combat systems in near-Earth space is by no means new, one can say that it appeared almost immediately after the first flight into space. Soon, military apparatuses for reconnaissance, target designation, and communications were launched into orbit. In the 80s, the Americans planned to deploy in space the means for hitting Soviet ballistic missiles, but they could not implement this program. Moreover, combat lasers were supposed to be one of the key elements of this system.
Since then, the military significance of outer space has increased many times over. The modern army simply cannot do without satellite communication systems, reconnaissance and positioning. Moreover, the USA is currently the most powerful and numerous satellite constellation. It is she who largely determines the military dominance of Americans in the course of local conflicts of recent years. Therefore, it is not surprising that their nervous reaction to the possible deployment of shock systems capable of disabling spacecraft.
At the end of August, the same Ilim Poblet at a UN conference on disarmament announced a Russian satellite that "behaves abnormally." It was about the so-called inspector satellite that can change its orbit, study other devices and send the received information to the Earth. The United States and China have similar devices, the most well-known American equivalent is the X-37 shuttle, and in general their use does not contradict international agreements.
However, many experts believe that from systems that simply study other people's satellites to devices for their destruction is literally one step.
Given the trends of recent years, it can be said with confidence that the militarization of space is an irreversible process. Moreover, every year it will only accelerate. The creation of special space forces in the United States is a graphic confirmation of this. Killer satellites were developed during the Cold War, but whether a Russian spacecraft with a laser weapon can exist today is a big question.
Having brought the accusation, the Americans did not provide any evidence. So here it remains only to guess. On the one hand, Putin, in his famous March address, referred to laser weapons, which means there are serious developments in this area. But, on the other hand, in the American statement we are talking about the finished system, put into orbit, and, possibly, on combat or experienced duty. This is a completely different level.
But there is another, simpler explanation. Now in the United States is the creation of Space Command. This is not a quick process, costing a lot of money. And in order to be allocated more willingly, it is best to tell about the cosmic threat from these "terrible Russians."
Whether Russia is capable of creating orbital laser weapons is a serious question. Of course, outer space is an ideal place to use it, but there is one problem - the source of energy. To power such a facility, a small nuclear reactor is required. At one time, it was suggested to use nuclear explosions for pumping lasers with energy.
