India Anti-Satellite (ASAT) Missile Developments
- Thread starter Ashwin
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Not only will Pakistan not make the FATF black list, they'd also get the IMF loan with a lot of strings attached. Incidentally, they'd also continue on the FATF grey list. Just my 2 cents.
Do give it a read. Heartburn is quite evident 
Op-ed | India's ASAT test is wake-up call for norms of behavior in space - SpaceNews.com
Op-ed | India's ASAT test is wake-up call for norms of behavior in space - SpaceNews.com
^^^ On other forum people were discussing as of now it is next to Impossible shooting down a Satellite flying at 300 km from ground with leasers. How much possibility is there? How close China is to achieving that? And are we working on something similar?
It is impossible to deliver enough power by means of a laser to cause a satellite to burn or explode, at least at present levels of technology. You see, our atmosphere is a son of a bi*ch in these matters. The atmosphere will scatter away the concentrated energy of the laser causing the beam to lose power as it travels, by the time it hits the satellite there won't be enough energy left to cause any physical damage(satellites do have radiation shields, you know).
What the Chinese can do is an over-hyped capability. They can dazzle the optical sensors on a satellite, rendering it un-usable for some time. But after a while(maybe minutes, maybe hours) the satellite will regain their optical capabilities. But what about synthetic aperture radar(SAR) scans ? SARs are known to produce high-resolution images of ground and sometimes under-ground structures and they don't have any optical sensors that can be dazzled away. What would the Chinese do about that ?
In case you are wondering, we do have significant SAR capabilities. Both airbourne and satellites. One of the spin-offs from our SAR research is the joint ISRO-NASA NISAR project for civilian applications. Do check out India's contributions to that project.
What are you guys talking about being impossible -- I had read a long time ago (pre 2008) USA claim that China used a Laser Weapon on one of its Spy Satellite, which as it come over horizon was blinded, as it flew over to other side of horizon & then its vision restored. Pointing to a Ground based laser dazzling it over passage over China.
Let me look it up & post it in a while. I am sure I will find something.
Here go through this article: one of many
DIA: China to Deploy ASAT Laser by 2020
"It was the first time a U.S. intelligence agency disclosed details of the ASAT laser deployment plans.
China's ASAT laser weapons have been known since at least 2006, when China used a ground based laser to "dazzle" an orbiting U.S. satellite in what was viewed as a test attack. The laser incident came a year before the 2007 Chinese ASAT missile test against an orbiting weather satellite that created a dangerous orbiting debris field."
So something which is already done is not in impossible realm, furthermore,
"Ground-based lasers are believed to have a range of between 310 miles and 620 miles and require an average power greater than 1,000 watts."
Also, they are quite active in testing lower power laser blinders on military aircraft, like the incident in Djibouti with HAND HELD LASERS
US Military Says Chinese Lasers Injured Pilots Flying A C-130 Near Its Base in Djibouti
This is noting compared to a high powered ground lasers, but still very effective for hand held.
Also am sure if someone was to dig you will find similar usage in South China Sea on American flying pilots, who always end up being guinea pig for Chinese laser tests.
Russia is no mug either - U.S. Accuses Russia Of Developing Antisatellite Laser, Other Counterspace Weapons - SpaceWatch.Global
Not to forget a Satellite based small laser, needs a very less power to Permanently fry another satellite in space & can simply recharge by solar & some fuel.
So there are various ways to go about it, ofcource country will deny it
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Of course there is. A recent incident with US Boeing P-8A being the target during a "Freedom of Navigation" patrol.
I've previously read the report you posted and this agrees with what I posted above. The Chinese can dazzle satellites with optical payload. I said it was over-hyped because they can't permanently disable a satellite with it, at least they have demonstrated no such capability. The question I responded to specifically mentions destruction of satellites(shoot down) which at least yet has not been achieved. It is entirely possible that the Chinese will scale up their lasers in the future, but again the energy needed to destroy a satellite is huge. To fulfill such energy surges you would need nuclear reactors and/or super capacitors. Over all it seems like a very expensive proposition, especially when the Chinese already have ASAT rockets to do that job which are much cheaper to build and maintain. Perhaps impossible wasn't the proper word, improbable seems more like it.
Amid all this the Americans aren't sitting around they are working to counter it. Apparently DoD is working with NASA to make some kind of blinders for optical payload. But this is only a rumour, I will post more when I've something solid. We are going to use Synthetic Aperture Radars(SARs) to obtain ground pictures, at least that seems to be the plan for now.
I think you misunderstood & haven't gone through the article
300 watts is whats required to blind or dazzle satellite optics, that was 2006
"Lower powered lasers are used to interfere or temporarily blind satellite optical sensors, and can also interfere or blind infrared detectors on early warning satellites used to detect missile launches, and the electro-optical transducers on electro-optical reconnaissance satellites."
Today we are talking about
"Ground-based lasers are believed to have a range of between 310 miles and 620 miles and require an average power greater than 1,000 watts."
1000 watts concentrated will fry a thing permanently.
Also India has a advantage, it has the highest mountain ranges near to it. India by deploying a Ground Based Laser on top of one of the accessible high mountains can deliver the same output, which a much higher capable Ground based laser will archive near Sea Lvl like in case of USA or Russia.
Have they deployed this yet ? If yes, I am unaware of any such incidents. If no, then aren't we giving them too much credit ? We do have a sizable R&D effort going for lasers and microwave weaponry. Nothing compared to the Chinese but still sizable, and we have been making
R&D efforts for long. But unlike the Chinese we haven't dazzled anybody's satellites, so we can't really attribute anything solid to our capabilities.
Agreed. On an unrelated note, check this : Indian Astronomical Observatory - Wikipedia
Yes and likely military lvl deployed by 2020
Since you took the name of SAR satellites, I hope you dig into what happened to RISAT-1(SAR satellite) when Kargil happened. A lot is not published. You will find it interesting & rest all your doubts
Its not published much,
Probable in this order, as far as I could peace together the sequence of events
- NASA which also tracks space debris - at time of Doklam first reported a lot of debris around Risat-1 on same fly path. This implied a failed ASAT attack on RISAT-1 with proximity fuse. as it failed to hit, yet caused a lot of space debris in same fly path. The Debris could not be explained. As nothing known was missing
- ISRO claims RISAT-1 is operational
- Next ISRO claims RISAT-1
functioning sporadically - probably low grade laser dazzlers over Indian region, but normally functioning beyond. - Later ISRO claimed
RISAT-1 is permanently dead - This did not coincide with increase of space debris, implying not another ASAT attack, could be more powerful laser in play, frying it permanently. - US claims China has developed 1000watts ground based laser.
I will encourage all to take my assessment with a pinch of salt & do your own due diligence. But the timing of Kargil standoff & RISAT-1 mysterious death & debris before RISAT-1 was officially declared dead a week or so later. Claims of it functioning sporadically, before it permanently dying.
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Kargil - 1999
Risat 2 - launched in 2009
Risat 1 - launched in 2012
The event you are talking about is in 2016. URI.
There you contradict yourself
We are not talking of when RISAT1 was launched, but when it DIED.
Interestingly India is launching Risat 2B, Catosat-3, RISAT-2BR1 in very short time after ASAT test rings a bell. Did India want to send a message, don't you try again??
Correction I earlier wrote Kargil, its Doklam standoff
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