The United States Space Force is developing two new satellite-jamming systems, “Meadowlands” and “Remote Modular Terminal” (RMT), to enhance its ability to disrupt adversaries’ intelligence and surveillance satellites, particularly those operated by China and Russia. Building on the existing Counter Communications System (CCS), these new platforms are smaller, more mobile, and capable of global or remote operation. Developed by L3Harris, Northstrat, and CACI International, they aim to deny enemies access to space-based communications without causing permanent damage. The Space Force plans to deploy dozens of these units as part of a broader strategy that includes the “Bounty Hunter” monitoring system, reflecting a growing emphasis on electronic warfare and the escalating US–China competition in space. They write:
The sixth and newest branch of the United States military has been developing new systems to jam adversarial satellites. The United States Space Force could soon field “two new weapons,” Bloomberg reported last week. Each was developed to “jam” intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) satellites operated by Russia and China. […]
The new systems, dubbed “Meadowlands” and “Remote Modular Terminal,” will further bolster the jamming capabilities. Unlike the bulky CCS, these two platforms can be more easily “dispersed worldwide,” and potentially even operated remotely, the Bloomberg report added.
China currently has around 1,200 satellites in orbit, and the majority of those would be valid military targets in a confrontation, even if they have civilian uses as well. Bloomberg cited the Space Force’s unclassified “Space Threat Fact Sheet,” which was last updated in September; the service notes that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) operates more than 510 ISR satellites, equipped with “optical, multispectral, radar and radio frequency sensors.” […]
Aerospace and defense contractor L3Harris delivered its first Meadowlands electronic warfare (EW) unit last spring. The CCS platform, comprising advanced radio frequency equipment designed for plug-and-play integration to facilitate updates and adoption of new technology, was also developed to be rapidly deployable worldwide.
The platform arrived several years behind schedule, however, “a result of technical issues,” Bloomberg noted. However, the radar-like units, which are mounted on wheeled trailers, are now undergoing final testing. […]
According to the US Space Force, Bounty Hunter was deployed with the US Indo-Pacific Command (PACOM) in 2018, expanding “a near-global ability to detect, characterize, geolocate, and report sources of EMI on the U.S. military and commercial satellites in direct support of combatant commanders.”
A year later, Bounty Hunter was delivered to US Central Command (CENTCOM) in support of Operation Silent Sentry, which supports satellite communications and multiple combatant commands.
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