The Royal Air Force is preparing to deploy weapons into space for the first time as part of a £7.8 billion defence programme, with a target of 2035 for Britain to become a fully-fledged military space power. The move reflects growing global competition for control of orbital territory, since satellite infrastructure underpins both civilian and military systems, and comes as the United States has confirmed it has already stationed weapons beyond Earth's atmosphere to counter Russia and China.

The RAF's planned arsenal includes jamming devices and lasers adapted for use in a gravity-free environment, merging Britain's defence and civil space strategies for the first time. The Ministry of Defence says space underpins 18 per cent of UK GDP, including the City of London, within a global space economy worth close to £500 billion, and has vowed to work with allies against "hostile adversary action" from rivals seeking to disrupt satellite services. The urgency is underscored by reports that Russian spy satellites passed over a US base in Saudi Arabia shortly before an Iranian strike there killed 12 American personnel.