HANEs, antisatellite weapons and satellite based weapons

[kostas-zochios]

I read an article quite long ago about HANEs (High Altitude Nuclear Explosions) and the danger they are to satellites. The article also mensioned the use of a nuke tipped ballistic missile to cause a HANE as an antisatellite weapon. It said that a HANE in the right altitude could knock out 90% of all low flying satellites in a month. I would like to know if HANEs could be used as weapons and in what ways, and what are various countries doing to protect their "birds". Is the MiG-31D an "antisatellite" fighter? What weapons can be used against satellites? What weapons and electronics are based on satellites and in what roles? (I have heard of sat-based radars and sat-based underground facillity penetrating hypervelocity rods) :flame

 

[Black Legion]

All I know about this is that in 1998 Clinton cut all funding for the KEAsat kinetic energy antisatellite weapon being developed by Boeing,while pouring billions into the NMD program, for which Boeing is the primary contractor and which includes development of the essentially the same weapon technology.

With current military operations already heavily dependent on satellite-based services, the development and deployment of antisatellite capabilities constitutes an immediate objective of NMD, so one could expect to hear more news regarding this in the near future.

 

[kostas-zochios]

Update: The article was in the june 2004 Scientific American issue.