How Space Force Plans To Protect The US From Chinese & Russian Spy Satellites

The United States Space Force launched in 2019, and the newest branch of America’s military has been hard at work establishing its tactics, strategies, equipment, and practices. These include plans and capabilities surrounding satellite jamming, which is a vital area of defense the Space Force has prioritized since its inception.

The Space Force received 11 Counter Communications System jamming units built by L3Harris in 2020. These systems were developed in 2004, though, and L3Harris has been working hard to improve their capabilities. Its latest variant, Meadowlands, has entered the testing phase, and in early 2025, the company delivered two converted systems to the Space Force. The Meadowlands version offers significant upgrades by considerably expanding the system’s frequency range. The plan is to convert the rest of the current units, and to deliver an additional 20 in the future.

The Space Force is interested in improving its ability to counter the technology and hardware of spy satellite systems because of a potential future conflict with Russia, China, or another state space-capable adversary. China has been developing kinetic anti-satellite systems for years, and it’s necessary to plan to limit the effectiveness of such weapons in any potential conflict. Meadowlands is the next step in countering such threats and transforming the Space Force into a more robust part of the U.S. armed forces.

The Meadowlands Counter Communications System

Now that Meadowlands is ready for formal testing, the Space Force will put it through its paces to ensure it meets the service’s high standards. Col. Bryon McClain, program executive officer for space domain awareness, spoke at the 2025 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, about the new variant (via Defense News): “It helps us grow the ability to have remote command and control, which allows us to adjust the footprint of personnel. That gives us a lot of flexibility …” McClain also said Meadowlands requires fewer operators sitting at the antennae, adjusting equipment on the fly.

Much of the information about the system’s technical specifications is classified, and likely will be for the foreseeable future. What is known involves its base capabilities as described on L3Harris’ website. These don’t specify the frequency range of the base system or that added via the Meadowlands upgrade, though fast traveling military satellites typically operate in the C-, Ku-, and X-band Super High Frequency 1-to-40-gigahertz range.

What is known is that the system features remote operation capabilities and integrated automation, allowing for multi-mission support. It also can perform a spectrum survey and provide data and predictive analysis alongside an electronic attack capability. This is in line with the Space Force’s desire to acquire new offensive systems like Meadowlands. Once testing is complete, the upgraded jammer will continue to push back against the potential threat posed by hostile nations.