Defense Update April 22, 2020
Russia has been engaged in direct ascent anti-satellite (DA-ASAT) anti-satellite weapon tests in the past months. On April 15, a missile launch from the Plesetsk test site on the arctic circle. Russian media sources reports said the missile tested called ‘Nudol’ has reached over 7,000 m/sec, thus positioned in the ‘hypersonic‘ category. Prior to the test, large airspace along the missile’s flight path was closed, with an area typical for a two-staged missile. Other tests of anti-satellite weapon systems were previously conducted under the “Sistema A-235 / RTTS-181M Nudol” program which has been tested at least nine times in the past. Several countries have already demonstrated the capability to conduct ASAT operations. The US has also developed air-launched ASAT weapons…read more.
Contrails left after a Russian anti-satellite weapon test on April 15, 2020