Star Wars, the reality version:
These days the Air Force is establishing for the first time the "Space Administration" whose purpose, among other things, is to strengthen the Air Force's capabilities in space.
The new administration, which will initially be commanded by an officer with the rank of lieutenant colonel, will have faith in the field of space in the Air Force, and will, among other things, examine how Israel can use space for purposes that cannot be specified.
The Air Force added the word "space" to its name as early as two decades ago, but in recent years, the heads of the Air Force consciously chose not to deal with space, preferring to invest the Air Force's resources in other areas.
In the Administration for Research and Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure in the Ministry of Defense (MPA), on the other hand, there has been a space administration for about 40 years. It is responsible for the research and development phases of satellites.
Bar champion
An investor in space, photo: Yossi Zeliger
Recently, the commander of the Air Force, Major General Tomer Bar, decided on the establishment of a space administration under the military equipment department.
It will work in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the IT and Defense Division, as well as other bodies that deal with the issue of space in the defense system. The development of satellites will continue to be done under the Space Administration at the Israel Defense Forces, but the Air Force Administration can certainly help to specify the operational needs of the Air Force in the field of space. .
Not just in science fiction movies
Space warfare is no longer the domain of science fiction films only, and it is clear to all those involved in it that it will be a central part of our lives in the years to come.
The decision corresponds with the trends in the world, within the framework of which many countries are increasing their involvement in space, and some of the powers are even talking about deploying weapons systems in outer space, although it seems that the technology of being able to fire or laser from space is still very far from implementation.
Currently, the armies use space mainly to assist the armies operating on the ground, and the satellites enable precise attack capabilities with the help of navigation and guidance of weapons.
Apart from capabilities that cannot be specified, it is likely that the new space administration will deal with improving the communication and photography capabilities made possible by the Israeli satellites in space, and improving the connectivity between the Air Force fighter jets and the unmanned aerial vehicles to the Israeli satellites.
The Israeli Air Force, and in fact the entire world, keep an eye on Iran's advanced space program
At the end of the week, ImageSat and IAI successfully launched the EROS C3 intelligence satellite.
The satellite was launched by the Space X company. The state-of-the-art satellite has breakthrough technological capabilities that enable very high resolution photography, in several channels at the same time, and in color.
It is also reasonable to assume that the Space Administration will not only be concerned with improving the capabilities of the IDF and the Air Force through space. The Israeli Air Force, and in fact the entire world, are keeping an eye on Iran's advanced space program. Only in the last few weeks have France, Great Britain and Germany complained about the space program of Tehran, which they say "uses ballistic missile technology" banned by the UN resolution from 2015 for eight years.
In Israel, they explained that the three countries fear the possibility that Iran will use the technology to launch missiles into space to create intercontinental missiles that can reach Europe, and carry conventional warheads.
The way to deal with enemy satellites today is through jamming.
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
