Super-advanced defence system unveiled to protect Britain from ‘space wars’ that can track objects the size of a football
An army barracks is to be converted into a high-tech defence system to protect Britain from “space wars”.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced that Cawdor Barracks in south-west Wales will be the home of the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (Darc).
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Darc will work with radars from Britain’s allies to detect, track and identify football-sized objects in space.
The 27 radar dishes planned for the St Davids peninsula in Pembrokeshire will be 20 metres high.
The program envisages a network of ground-based radars in Australia, the USA and the UK to enable global space surveillance.
They will improve the ability of the AUKUS states to track objects in space at a distance of up to about 36,000 km from Earth.
The Defense Department says this capability will benefit these countries’ land, air and naval forces, as well as protect critical infrastructure and benefit their domestic construction and aerospace industries.
Defence Secretary John Healey said the planned redesign “secures domestic jobs and defence capabilities for the future”.
He said: “Space plays a crucial role in our daily lives – it is used for everything from our mobile phones to banking services.”
“It is also used by the UK Ministry of Defence for key tasks such as supporting military operations, navigating forces and gathering intelligence.”
“This new radar program will not only improve our perception of space, but will also help protect our space assets together with our closest partners.”
Cawdor Barracks was both a Royal Air Force airfield and a Royal Navy base.
The 14th Signal Regiment is currently stationed at the site. The Ministry of Defence stated in 2016 that the barracks would not be closed until 2028 at the earliest.
The redevelopment of the site for Darc would keep the site open and up to 100 employees would be permanently on site to operate and maintain the radar system.
Jo Stevens, Secretary of State for Wales, described it as “an important project for Wales”.
She said: “By increasing our awareness and understanding of what is happening in space, we can continue to ensure that it remains safe, sustainable and accessible to all.”
China’s influence
According to Statista, China, led by President Xi Jinping, has spent around US$14 billion ($11.2 billion) on its ambitious space program in 2023.
Speaking to reporters at the 39th Space Symposium earlier this month, General Stephen Whiting of the US Space Command said: “Frankly, China is moving at a breathtaking pace.
“Since 2018, China has more than tripled the number of its orbiting reconnaissance, surveillance and information satellites.
“And with these systems, they have built a network of destruction across the Pacific to find, locate, track and, yes, attack the military capabilities of the United States and its allies.”
The US Marine Corps defines a “kill web” as “a dynamic network that seamlessly integrates intelligence and warfare capabilities from multiple domains, including land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.”
The country has “built a range of counterspace weapons, from reversible jamming weapons to kinetic hit-to-kill direct ascent and co-orbital ASATs,” Whiting said.
As part of a global effort to build permanent housing on the moon, China has also announced plans to deploy its “all-seeing” surveillance system Skynet extraterrestrially.
NASA chief Bill Nelson has openly expressed his concerns about China’s activities in space – which Beijing says are purely scientific in nature.
Nelson warned this week that China is hiding further military projects in space that could lead to Beijing trying to claim parts of the moon as its own territory.
The Government is committed to involving local communities in developing proposals for Darc.
They said there would be two local information events for the public before Pembrokeshire County Council’s statutory consultation period.
Members of the Ministry of Defence’s Darc programme team will attend these events to discuss the proposals, answer questions and hear the views of local communities.
Nevertheless, local activists launched a campaign called “Parc Against Darc” in May to stop the plans.
They called it “one of the most health-damaging, tourism-destroying and skyline-blighting military installations ever proposed anywhere in the United Kingdom.”
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