U.S. Space Force Fields Mobile Satellite-Jamming System, Bringing Electronic Warfare to Orbit
The U.S. Space Force announced on June 30 that Meadowlands, a new mobile satellite-jamming system, has been operationally accepted and is now available for real-world missions by combatant commanders.
Built by L3Harris Technologies, Meadowlands uses radio-frequency signals to disrupt an adversary satellite's ability to transmit information. Unlike anti-satellite weapons designed to physically destroy spacecraft, Meadowlands produces reversible effects — the targeted satellite's communications can be restored once jamming ceases. That characteristic makes it far less escalatory than kinetic weapons.
The system is mounted on wheeled trailers, allowing rapid deployment and repositioning to evade detection and counterstrikes. Compared to its predecessor — the Counter Communications System, first disclosed in 2020 — Meadowlands can jam a broader range of frequencies and incorporates automation that reduces crew requirements.
Operational Context
The Space Force pointed to recent operations in the Middle East, where operators established what the service described as a "silence zone" by disrupting adversary communications during Operation Midnight Hammer, helping protect U.S. bomber missions. The service did not specify whether Meadowlands itself was used in that operation.
Meadowlands is operated by Mission Delta 3, the unit responsible for space electromagnetic warfare, and can be deployed in support of combatant commanders worldwide.
From Shadows to Standard Operations
The operational acceptance of Meadowlands reflects a broader shift in how the U.S. military publicly discusses space warfare. A capability once rarely acknowledged is increasingly treated as a routine element of military planning. Late last year, the system was approved for potential export through the Foreign Military Sales program to a limited group of close allies, primarily the Five Eyes intelligence partners. The Space Force requested $40 million for the program in its fiscal 2027 budget.