I once posted and article about China satellite system tracking carrier And many former here are in disbelief saying it is impossible etc Now US is planning doing the same thing here it is
The U.S. Space Force second-in-command has provided updates on plans for the service’s introduction of space-based ground moving-target indicator and air moving-target indicator (GMTI/AMTI) capabilities. Also discussed was the U.S. military’s need for a layered surveillance network, including to deal with the expanding breadth of enemy ‘kill webs,’ something which TWZ has discussed in the depth in the past.
Speaking today at the annual Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the Vice Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force (USSF), said that the first parts of a satellite-based GMTI/AMTI capability should start coming online in “probably the early 2030s.”
Gen. Michael Guetlein, the Vice Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force. U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Samuel Becker
Importantly, however, Gen. Guetlein said that he expects the U.S. military’s future surveillance network to involve multiple assets, both in the atmosphere and in space. “I see it always being a layered set of capabilities to increase survivability, first and foremost,” he said.
While a layered surveillance network — one including space-based assets, alongside crewed aircraft, drones, and potentially other platforms — has been discussed for some time now, it was only last month that the design baseline for Space Force’s new satellite system was certified, meaning that it can now progress into the formal development phase.
In the past there have also been repeated suggestions that space-based surveillance assets would increasingly take over from the aircraft that have traditionally undertaken surveillance of targets on the ground, at sea, and in the air. In particular, satellite-based surveillance assets offer the advantages of greater persistence and — at least in the past — enhanced survivability. It is also worth noting that the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is reportedly acquiring a constellation of hundreds of intelligence-gathering satellites from SpaceX, with a specific focus on tracking targets down below in support of ground operations. Its relationship to the USSF program is unclear, but there is certainly some crossover regarding capabilities.
Gen. Guetlein, however, today pointed to what he considers the continuing relevance of non-space-based platforms for the GMTI/AMTI mission, especially.
A highly stylized depiction of a network of surveillance satellites. Northrop Grumman
Northrop Grumman
“The closer I can come to the target, the more resolution I get on the target,” he said. “As I move to space, it becomes harder and harder to get that same level of resolution on a target that may be required.”
Another major theme of Gen. Guetlein’s briefing today was kill webs and the growing threat that they present, reinforcing the need for adequate surveillance, including in space.
“Today, the adversary has migrated to kill webs that fully integrate multiple sensors, multiple bullets, against multiple simultaneous targets, all fully networked together with multiple sensors and all talking together through multiple communication paths,” Gen. Guetlein explained. “The mesh network, if you will, of shooters, bullets, sensors, and communicators, is extremely difficult to defeat. Unfortunately, the adversary is capable of using these kill webs to hold our joint forces at risk across great distances, across multiple domains, and with persistence. This is a very sophisticated and challenging threat.”
Back in 2021, now-retired Gen. Jay Raymond, then head of USSF, disclosed that his service was “building GMTI from space” and was “actively working to be able to provide that capability” as part of a classified program. In fact, this same space-based GMTI capability dates back longer than that, at least to a 2018 project run by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO).
GMTI tracks overlaid on a SAR image. Public Domain
Fundamentally, GMTI refers to a radar mode that allows them to discriminate between moving targets on the ground and static ones, allowing it to track the activity of the moving targets over time. Typically, a GMTI radar can also gather synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, conferring the ability to produce highly detailed image-like ground maps, day and night, and is able to penetrate cloud cover, smoke, and dust.
The plan to field a space-based GMTI and now also AMTI capability has been seen in the past as justification for the retirement of more traditional capabilities like the U.S. Air Force’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), key assets of which included its GMTI and SAR functions.
The U.S. Space Force second-in-command has provided updates on plans for the service’s introduction of space-based ground moving-target indicator and air moving-target indicator (GMTI/AMTI) capabilities. Also discussed was the U.S. military’s need for a layered surveillance network, including to deal with the expanding breadth of enemy ‘kill webs,’ something which TWZ has discussed in the depth in the past.
Speaking today at the annual Defense News Conference in Arlington, Virginia, Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, the Vice Chief of Space Operations, U.S. Space Force (USSF), said that the first parts of a satellite-based GMTI/AMTI capability should start coming online in “probably the early 2030s.”
Importantly, however, Gen. Guetlein said that he expects the U.S. military’s future surveillance network to involve multiple assets, both in the atmosphere and in space. “I see it always being a layered set of capabilities to increase survivability, first and foremost,” he said.
While a layered surveillance network — one including space-based assets, alongside crewed aircraft, drones, and potentially other platforms — has been discussed for some time now, it was only last month that the design baseline for Space Force’s new satellite system was certified, meaning that it can now progress into the formal development phase.
In the past there have also been repeated suggestions that space-based surveillance assets would increasingly take over from the aircraft that have traditionally undertaken surveillance of targets on the ground, at sea, and in the air. In particular, satellite-based surveillance assets offer the advantages of greater persistence and — at least in the past — enhanced survivability. It is also worth noting that the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) is reportedly acquiring a constellation of hundreds of intelligence-gathering satellites from SpaceX, with a specific focus on tracking targets down below in support of ground operations. Its relationship to the USSF program is unclear, but there is certainly some crossover regarding capabilities.
Gen. Guetlein, however, today pointed to what he considers the continuing relevance of non-space-based platforms for the GMTI/AMTI mission, especially.
Northrop Grumman
“The closer I can come to the target, the more resolution I get on the target,” he said. “As I move to space, it becomes harder and harder to get that same level of resolution on a target that may be required.”
Another major theme of Gen. Guetlein’s briefing today was kill webs and the growing threat that they present, reinforcing the need for adequate surveillance, including in space.
“Today, the adversary has migrated to kill webs that fully integrate multiple sensors, multiple bullets, against multiple simultaneous targets, all fully networked together with multiple sensors and all talking together through multiple communication paths,” Gen. Guetlein explained. “The mesh network, if you will, of shooters, bullets, sensors, and communicators, is extremely difficult to defeat. Unfortunately, the adversary is capable of using these kill webs to hold our joint forces at risk across great distances, across multiple domains, and with persistence. This is a very sophisticated and challenging threat.”
Back in 2021, now-retired Gen. Jay Raymond, then head of USSF, disclosed that his service was “building GMTI from space” and was “actively working to be able to provide that capability” as part of a classified program. In fact, this same space-based GMTI capability dates back longer than that, at least to a 2018 project run by the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office (RCO).
Fundamentally, GMTI refers to a radar mode that allows them to discriminate between moving targets on the ground and static ones, allowing it to track the activity of the moving targets over time. Typically, a GMTI radar can also gather synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery, conferring the ability to produce highly detailed image-like ground maps, day and night, and is able to penetrate cloud cover, smoke, and dust.
The plan to field a space-based GMTI and now also AMTI capability has been seen in the past as justification for the retirement of more traditional capabilities like the U.S. Air Force’s E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS), key assets of which included its GMTI and SAR functions.
