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Topic: Space Blog Brand: The Buzz Region: Europe Tags: Communications, France, NATO, Russia, Satellites, and Western Europe How France Plans to Stop a Russian Attack on Its Satellite Ground Stations December 13, 2025 By: Brandon J. Weichert
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France’s SkyFortress system is intended to provide redundancy on the ground, enabling individual ground stations to quickly take over satellite communications if others are put offline.
With all the talk about European rearmament abuzz, the French are doing their part—and they’re doing it according to their strengths, which is always a good sign for success. Not only is France the most potent nuclear-armed military on the continent, but it is also the most impressive space power.
That’s why Paris has initiated its “SkyFortress Innovation Acceleration Project,” which is meant to address the vulnerability of key space infrastructure on Earth.
A Real Backup for France’s Space Program
The Defense Post describes this new French initiative as a project intended to “give the French Armed Forces backup options for planning and conducting space-related missions.” This project will “test a hybrid network of ground stations to see how quickly and reliably satellite links can be maintained during disruptions.”
This is a key aspect of modern space warfare. It isn’t just about project power through and even from the strategic high ground of space. The key to winning the next major war will be for one side to better preserve access to space—and the systems in that strategic domain that are strategically important, in what will be increasingly degraded environments.
Skynopy is the French firm that has partnered with the country’s military to employ a system that uses advanced software to switch between ground stations to ensure that key satellite signals are not disrupted by a Russian counterspace attack on their satellite networks.
Both China and Russia have developed a comprehensive strategy and robust capability to disrupt the functionality of Western satellites in orbit.
Now, satellite ground stations on the Earth below are becoming important targets in these counterspace strategies. The French are attempting to overcome these dastardly plans by ensuring that their ground stations are redundant and cannot be impeded by traditional disruptive counterspace attacks.
Skynopy is presiding over a hybrid network of both military and civilian ground stations, and will strive to incorporate thousands of civilian satellite operators into France’s overall defense posture. It is the classic fusion of military and civilian functions—just what one would expect to see from a nation, and a continent, that is increasingly convinced that a third world war is about to start.
Regardless of whether this is true or not, the fact remains that Paris, in this case about shoring up space vulnerabilities, is correct. France, as the leading military power on the continent, has a responsibility to do whatever it can to better protect the space assets not only of France but the entire European continent.
The Role of SkyFortress
These systems are under threat—and will continue to be, because so much of modern warfare relies upon space. By denying France and Europe access to space by targeting their ground stations, either the Russians or Chinese could render France and their European NATO partners deaf, dumb, and blind.
France has always understood the importance of space and protecting their access to space. Since 2014, France has been on guard against Russian co-orbital satellites that have tried to interfere with the normal operations of their sensitive military satellites in orbit.
French military officials have crafted innovative strategies to defend their country’s important satellite constellations. Now, they’re taking that innovation one step further with this SkyFortress ground stations redundancy program.
It’s a great idea, and other Western countries must work to embrace a similar model. After all, no one’s ground stations will be safe from the coming space war. The entire purpose of such a space war will be to disconnect targeted states from their satellites long enough to create vulnerabilities with which the attackers will exploit. At the start of the Ukraine War in 2022, Russia launched a series of cyberattacks and limited space attacks against critical communications targets in Europe (Viasat, for example). And this was merely for an invasion of Ukraine.
If a major continental war erupts between Russia and NATO, such attacks will recur on a far grander scale. If France is able to follow through on their plans for these ground stations, they just might be able to avoid a total loss of space capabilities—and that will keep their forces in any possible fight, at least longer than they otherwise would be.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. Weichert hosts a companion book talk series on Rumble entitled “National Security Talk.” He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, and the Asia Times. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Shutterstock / LACROIX CHRISTINE.
The post How France Plans to Stop a Russian Attack on Its Satellite Ground Stations appeared first on The National Interest.
Источник: nationalinterest.org