After drones, a new warfare straight out of science fiction

Economic Times

2 days ago

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Space is the new battlefield
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Space warfare: Fiction becomes reality
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America's 'Golden Dome' is the next frontier in space warfare
Recent drone warfare has proved that next battlefields are up in the air. After spectacular drone warfare during India -Pakistan conflict, in which India's anti-drone systems were able to intercept wave after wave of Pakistan's attack drones, Ukraine's Operation Spider Web has shocked the world. The audacious drone assault, carried out with first-person-view (FPV) drones hidden inside trucks, targeted nearly 40 strategic Russian bombers thousands of kilometres from Ukraine, dealing what Ukraine claims is a multibillion-dollar blow to Moscow's long-range strike capabilities.Ukraine's Operation Spider Web has rewritten the rules of combat. Many think drones have become even more important than fighter jets. But this is just one piece of new-age warfare which bridges the gap between reality and fiction.In March, a startling revelation made by the US pointed at advancements in space warfare -- Chinese defence satellites had practiced 'dogfights' in low Earth orbits in 2024. United States Vice Chief of Space Operations General Michael Guetlein said, "'With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchronicity and in control. That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another.'A dogfight is an aerial battle between fighter aircraft conducted at close range. Now, dogfights have reached space too where satellites fight like fighter jets.Identifying the satellites involved in the reported military exercise in space, a US military spokesperson confirmed that the 'dogfights' took place in 2024. The officer added that there were five satellites involved with three of them Shiyan-24C experimental satellites while the remaining two were experimental spacecraft, the Shijian-605 A and B.Two months later, in May, it was reported that India too practised a sort of dogfight in space. India quietly pulled off a historic space manoeuvre of its own -- one that married sophisticated scientific finesse with nuanced strategic signalling. On its SPADEX (Space Docking Experiment) mission, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully executed a high-speed satellite rendezvous in space, showcasing not only technical capability but future preparedness in the new frontier of orbital defence.The SPADEX mission was first initiated to develop autonomous docking and undocking of two satellites, the manoeuvres which are the backbone of long-duration space missions, space station activities and servicing satellites. When the main mission was accomplished, ISRO engineers observed that the two satellites had almost 50% of fuel left, owing to accurate launch calibration and cautious fuel management. This created the possibility for an unintended but ambitious second phase: testing high-speed coordinated manoeuvres in orbit.The two satellites were manoeuvred into synchronised, high-speed contact at orbital speeds of 28,800 kmph -- approximately 28 times the speed of a commercial airliner. Flying at such velocities, even the slightest miscalculation can result in disastrous consequences, and hence, this was an accomplishment of gigantic technical sophistication. Similar to fighter jets' aerial combat training, the satellites gradually closed in on each other under controlled conditions, pushing the boundaries of orbital control, real-time communication, and autonomous control systems. Although no weapons were used, the exercise replicates the manoeuvring accuracy that would be required in future space wars.In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a special announcement that India had successfully tested its first anti-satellite missile system, code-named 'Mission Shakti'. "India has entered its name as an elite space power. An anti-satellite weapon ASAT successfully targeted a live satellite on a low Earth orbit," PM Modi said. He also stated that shooting down a LEO satellite is a rare achievement and was completed successfully within three minutes of launch.India is only the fourth country after the US, Russia and China to have such a space warfare capability. Though it lags the three countries in this domain by far, it is making rapid progress. It is working on a "military space doctrine" that will be brought out in a few months, amid China continuing to develop weapons - direct ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital satellites and electronic warfare - to contest or deny access to space.Space warfare has evolved from a theoretical concept, and the stuff found in science fiction, into a critical component of modern military strategy. As of 2025, nations like the United States, Russia, China, and India have developed sophisticated capabilities to leverage, defend, and contest space assets.Space warfare encompasses military strategies and operations conducted in or through outer space. It involves three key parts: space control, to ensure the freedom of operation in space for one's own forces while denying adversaries the same; space denial, to disrupt or destroy an adversary's space assets to degrade their military capabilities; and space exploitation, to utilize space-based assets for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and communication.Key domains of space warfare include orbital warfare, engaging in actions to destroy or disable satellites; cyber operations, targeting space-based communication and control systems; electronic warfare, jamming or spoofing satellite signals; and kinetic operations, which means physical destruction of space assets using missiles or other projectiles.America's proposed 'Golden Dome' marks a dramatic shift in space warfare. Projected to cost $175 billion, the system aims to create a space-based missile defense shield that can detect, track and intercept missiles -- including nuclear ones -- before they reach US soil. If implemented, it would become the world's first active combat infrastructure deployed in orbit, fundamentally altering the nature of space warfare.Unlike earlier space systems that were passive -- satellites for communication, navigation or surveillance -- the Golden Dome envisions satellites equipped with sensors, interceptors and potentially directed-energy weapons such as lasers. These platforms would neutralize threats in their boost or mid-course phases, forming a constant orbital shield over the US and its allies.Supporters argue this is the next logical step in deterrence, especially in an age of hypersonic missiles and unpredictable adversaries. However, the plan has triggered intense concern globally, with rivals such as Russia and China warning that it could dangerously destabilize strategic balance. The most serious worry is that the Golden Dome undermines the principle of Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD), a cornerstone of nuclear deterrence. If the US can reliably intercept retaliatory missile strikes, it might be perceived as having a first-strike advantage -- a perception that could provoke an arms race.Russia has responded with sharp criticism, calling the plan a 'dangerous fantasy' that could dismantle existing arms control agreements. Moscow has accelerated the development of hypersonic weapons like the Avangard system, designed to bypass missile defenses. Similarly, China sees the Golden Dome as a direct challenge to its strategic deterrent and is likely to expand its own space and nuclear forces. Beijing has already invested heavily in anti-satellite weapons, maneuverable co-orbital satellites, and electronic warfare systems targeting space assets.In an increasingly militarized orbital environment, India too is striving to increase its offensive and defensive capabilities in space.(With inputs from TOI)