WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Russia tested an anti-satellite weapon last month by using a type of missile it had never seen before and carried a sophisticated aircraft, US intelligence sources said.
The anti-satellite missile capable of crippling basic navigation systems and communications and intelligence technology "will be ready for war by 2022," according to intelligence sources.
Reports in recent years have revealed President Vladimir Putin's request to develop anti-satellite missiles, but it appears to be coming soon.
The plane was filmed a MiG fighter carrying the strange missile at an airport near Moscow in mid-September.
The MiGoyan MiG-31 is a supersonic interceptor aircraft, one of very few aircraft that has access to space.
When the images appeared last month, many blogs and websites said the missile, which was detected under the plane, could be anti-satellite.
These rumors appear to have been confirmed by many intelligence sources in the United States.
"These tests are being conducted to make sure that the weapon and the aerial carrier will work well during the flight," one source said.
The missile targets satellites in "low Earth orbit", where most of the space exploration has taken place.
Potential targets include "LEO", such as the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope.
The comments come from US intelligence a day after President Vladimir Putin announced plans to modernize the army with weapons unparalleled in the world.
"Russia does not threaten anyone and fully complies with its obligations in the field of international security," he said during a meeting with senior military officers and law enforcement officials.
The Russian president said that military arsenals would be modernized to ensure protection from potential threats, saying that new Russian weapons "are markedly superior ... simply unmatched."
