MOSCOW. Feb 4 (Interfax-AVN) - The world's leading powers might soon make novel space weapons that will be operational at altitudes of 40 to 100km, Russian Air Force Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Mikhailov told Interfax-Military News Agency Wednesday.
"In the near future the U.S. and NATO might retain existing space weapons and obtain novel sub-orbital combat systems used at these altitudes," he said.
He added that this fact conditionally united the air and outer space into a single sphere of combat, which demand new system of responsibility for protection of the country against the new threat. "Such an approach has been officially accepted at a national level, and necessary measures are being taken," Mikhailov said.
He also said that "as far back as 15 to 20 years ago the USSR and the U.S. used to deploy various types of aerodynamic, aeroballistic, and orbital military assets acting in the so-far "free" altitude stratum (of 40 to 100km - Interfax-AVN), capable of crossing it and go beyond it."
According to Mikhailov, sub-orbital assets can act between the atmosphere and outer space. "To fight them, air and space defenses have to be continuously re-targeted, which requires a common system of data support," the Air Force chief said.