As satellite networks become central to modern warfare, China researches ways to jam signals
In New Delhi on December 7, the International News Agency reported that Ukraine has become almost entirely reliant on satellite constellations to keep its communications running, even as it endures relentless electronic and physical attacks over nearly four years of Russia’s invasion.
Seeing how vital these systems have grown in modern combat, China is now probing ways to shut them down in possible future conflicts. Dark Reading’s coverage cites a recent Chinese‑language academic paper by scholars at two leading universities that investigated whether large constellations such as Starlink could be jammed. Their findings suggest that jamming is feasible, but would demand an extraordinary amount of resources.
The study estimates that to disrupt Starlink across an area the size of Taiwan you’d need somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 drones equipped for electronic jamming. This stark reminder points to satellite networks being among the first targets in any forthcoming clash involving China, especially over Taiwan.
“Governments and satellite operators should treat this research as a warning,” says Clemence Poirier, senior cyber‑defence researcher at ETH Zurich’s Center for Security Studies. “Companies will have to harden their systems, differentiate between civilian and military infrastructures, and rethink their threat models.”
Satellite constellations have become high‑value targets not only because they carry military communications but also because they underpin everyday civilian connectivity. The report also notes that navigation systems are often jammed or spoofed in conflict zones, and cyber attacks aimed at controlling satellite orientation and positioning are increasingly common.
Electronic and cyber intrusions attract adversaries because they pose less risk of escalation than missile strikes on orbiting objects. Analysts observe that “gray‑zone” interference lets nations probe gaps without breaching clear red lines.
Constellations like OneWeb—used by Taiwan for backup communications—and Starlink, with nearly 9,000 low‑Earth orbit satellites, are engineered to withstand significant disruption. Their sheer size and mobility make them hard targets, which is pushing aggressors toward new tactics such as distributed jammers and coordinated drone swarms.
China is simultaneously building its own satellite constellations and beefing up its offensive arsenals. Meanwhile, Russia, China, and the United States have each conducted recent tests of anti‑satellite weapons. Although none of these tests have resulted in actual attacks on another nation’s spacecraft, the rapid pace of experimentation underscores space’s growing strategic importance.
As armed forces around the world reorganize around resilient space‑based infrastructure, satellite constellations are quickly becoming central to how future conflicts may unfold. sas/khz
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