역사 1985년 - F-15의 ASAT 테스트

[위종민]

F-15가 ASM-135A ASAT을 발사해서 345마일 상공의 위성을 격파한 게 1985년 9월 13일이었네요. 고도 38,000피트 = 7.2마일 상공에서 발사했으니 고도만 해도 338마일을 치고 올라간 거네요 ㄷㄷㄷ 

1985년 9월 13일, F-15가 고도 345마일 위의 위성을 격추했다 — 41년이 지난 지금까지 어떤 항공기도 다시 해내지 못했다

작성자 Steve Balestrieri
6초 전 게시

2026년 3월 23일 미국 플로리다주 에글린 공군기지 소속 미 공군 F-15EX Eagle II가 미국 남동부 상공에서 훈련 임무를 수행하고 있다. 제96시험비행단과 제53비행단은 차세대 생존성, 레이더, 센서 및 네트워킹 능력을 포함한 개발 및 운용 시험을 수행하고 있다. (미 공군 사진: Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles) 

1985년 9월 13일, 미 공군 F-15A Eagle 한 대가 태평양 상공에서 3.8G 수직 줌 클라임을 수행하고, 3만8천 피트 상공에서 마하 1.22까지 가속한 뒤 Vought ASM-135A 대위성 미사일을 발사해 고도 345마일에 있던 퇴역 위성 Solwind P78-1을 파괴했다. 이는 역사상 항공기가 위성을 격추한 최초이자 유일한 사례였다.

2단계 미사일의 Miniature Homing Vehicle은 적외선 유도 방식을 사용했으며, 폭발탄 없이 약 시속 1만5천 마일 속도로 목표물과 충돌해 운동에너지로 파괴했다. 의회는 1988년 ASAT 프로그램을 폐기했고, 41년이 지난 지금 러시아와 중국 모두 자체 대위성 능력을 운용하고 있음에도 불구하고, 어떤 항공기도 이 업적을 다시 수행하지 못했다.

F-15: 위성 킬러

1985년 9월 13일, 미 공군은 F-15 Eagle을 이용해 궤도 위성을 파괴했다.

항공기를 사용해 위성을 격추한 이 사건은 역사상 최초였으며, 소련이 “킬러 위성” 구축을 시도하던 우주 공간에서도 미국이 경쟁에 나설 것임을 적대국들에게 보여주었다.

이 시험은 향후 수십 년 동안 우주를 무기화하는 것이 지닌 전략적 위험성에 대한 경고 역할을 소련에 전달했다.

F-15는 Vought ASM-135A 대위성 미사일을 사용해 지구 상공 345마일 고도에서 미국의 Solwind P78-1 위성을 파괴했다. 해당 위성은 이미 기능을 상실한 상태였으며, 당시 남긴 우주 잔해 때문에 논란을 불러일으켰다.

Vought ASM-135A 대위성 미사일이란 무엇인가?

Vought ASM-135A 대위성(ASAT) 미사일은 1980년대 미 공군이 개발한 공중발사 무기로, “히트 투 킬(hit-to-kill)” 운동에너지 탄두를 사용해 저지구궤도 적 위성을 파괴하도록 설계되었다.

F-15 Eagle 전투기에 탑재된 이 무기는 1985년 실제로 미국 위성을 격파하는 데 성공하며, 궤도 위협을 무력화할 수 있는 능력을 입증했다.

이 무기는 Miniature Homing Vehicle(MHV)을 탑재한 2단 로켓이었다. 폭약 대신 MHV는 적외선 센서를 이용해 표적을 식별하고 약 시속 1만5천 마일 속도로 충돌했으며, 충돌의 운동에너지로 위성을 파괴했다.

이를 위해 F-15 조종사는 마하 1.22 속도로 3만8천 피트 이상까지 3.8G 수직 “줌 클라임” 기동을 수행한 뒤 미사일을 발사해야 했다.

대위성 전쟁의 배경

냉전 시기 미국과 소련은 모두 위성을 대규모로 활용하고 있었다. 두 초강대국 간 우주 경쟁은 1957년 소련이 최초의 인공위성 스푸트니크를 발사하면서 시작되었다. 소련은 또한 최초로 인간을 우주에 보낸 국가이기도 했다.

이후 미국과 NASA는 야심찬 프로그램을 추진했고, 이는 1969년 미국의 달 착륙으로 이어졌다.

그리고 양국 모두 대위성 능력 역시 개발하고 있었다.

소련, 그리고 현재의 러시아는 미국 정찰위성을 추적·접근·잠재적으로 무력화하기 위해 설계된 공궤도 기동 위성, 흔히 “킬러 위성”이라 불리는 체계들을 계속 적극적으로 개발·배치하고 있다.

주요 프로그램으로는 Nivelir와 Burevestnik 계획이 있으며, Cosmos-2558과 2576 같은 특정 위성들은 서방 자산 근처에서 의심스러운 근접 기동과 일부 경우에는 분리체(spawning) 기동까지 수행하는 모습이 관측되었다.

미국도 자체 ASAT 프로그램을 개발했다

냉전 절정기였던 1960년대부터 현재에 이르기까지 미국은 “히트 투 킬” 방식에 중점을 둔 자체 능력을 개발했다.

앞서 언급한 F-15 발사 ASM-135 같은 직접 상승형(direct-ascent) 미사일을 개발해 소련 위협에 대응했던 것과 달리, 현대 미국의 초점은 파괴적 운동에너지 시험보다는 랑데부 및 근접작전(RPO), 재밍과 사이버 같은 비운동학적 “소프트” 능력으로 이동했다.

스폰서 콘텐츠

의회는 1988년 ASM-135A와 ASAT 프로그램 예산을 삭감했다.

미국, 직접 상승형 대위성 무기 금지

2022년 4월 미국은 대량의 우주 잔해를 발생시키는 파괴적 직접 상승형 대위성 미사일 시험을 공식적으로 금지한 최초의 국가가 되었다.

이 금지 조치는 법적 구속력을 가진 국제 조약이 아니라 바이든 행정부의 일방적 약속 형태였지만, 다른 국가들도 해당 무기 금지에 동참하도록 장려하는 목적을 지녔다.

미국의 조치는 러시아가 2021년 수행한 파괴적 ASAT 시험—추적 가능한 잔해 1,500개 이상을 발생시켰다—과, 중국이 2007년 지상발사 SC-19 탄도미사일로 기상위성을 파괴한 사건에 의해 촉발되었다.

2008년 미국은 개조된 함정 기반 Standard Missile-3 미사일 방어 요격체를 사용해 고장 난 미국 정보위성을 파괴했다.

함께 읽으면 좋은 기사

“이 약속은 여러 주체들에 의해 검증 및 귀속이 가능하며, 우리는 다른 국가들도 유사한 약속을 통해 파괴적 직접 상승형 [ASAT] 미사일 시험에 반대하는 국제적 지지를 구축하기를 장려한다”고 미국은 금지 발표 보도자료에서 밝혔다.

골든 돔 미사일 방어 구상

2025년 트럼프 대통령은 미국이 “골든 돔(Golden Dome)”이라는 1,750억 달러 규모의 미사일 방어 구상을 개발 중이라고 발표했다.

이 계획은 미국이 다수의 위성과 센서를 활용해 탄도미사일 발사를 조기에 탐지하고, 우주 기반 요격체를 사용해 미사일의 “부스트 단계”(초기 상승 단계)에서 파괴하는 내용을 포함하고 있다.

현재 이 구상은 아직 개념 개발 단계에 있으며, 그러한 미사일 방어망 구축에 필요한 기술은 아직 갈 길이 멀다.

그러나 Reuters가 지적했듯이, “골든 돔의 예산은 여전히 불확실하다. 공화당 의원들은 보다 광범위한 1,500억 달러 국방 패키지의 일부로 250억 달러 초기 투자안을 제안했다.”

저자 소개: Steve Balestrieri

Steve Balestrieri는 국가안보 칼럼니스트다. 그는 미 육군 특전부사관(NCO) 및 준사관(Warrant Officer)으로 복무했다. 국방 분야 외에도 PatsFans.com에서 NFL을 다루며, 미국 프로풋볼기자협회(PFWA) 회원이기도 하다. 그의 글은 여러 군사 전문 매체에 정기적으로 실렸다.

On September 13, 1985, an F-15 Shot Down a Satellite at 345 Miles Up — 41 Years Later, No Aircraft Has Done It Again - 19FortyFive

On September 13, 1985, an F-15 Shot Down a Satellite at 345 Miles Up — 41 Years Later, No Aircraft Has Done It Again

On September 13, 1985, an F-15 Shot Down a Satellite at 345 Miles Up — 41 Years Later, No Aircraft Has Done It Again

By

Steve Balestrieri

Published

6 seconds ago

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A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies a training mission over southeast United States, March 23, 2026. The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing perform developmental and operational test series on the platform including next-generation survivability, radars, sensors and networking capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles)

On September 13, 1985, a U.S. Air Force F-15A Eagle executed a 3.8g vertical zoom climb over the Pacific Ocean, accelerated to Mach 1.22 above 38,000 feet, and launched a Vought ASM-135A anti-satellite missile that destroyed the defunct Solwind P78-1 satellite at 345 miles altitude — the first and only time in history an aircraft has shot down a satellite. The two-stage missile’s Miniature Homing Vehicle used infrared seeking and destroyed its target kinetically at roughly 15,000 miles per hour, with no explosive charge. Congress killed the ASAT program in 1988, and 41 years later — with Russia and China now both operating their own anti-satellite capabilities — no other aircraft has repeated the achievement.

F-15: Satellite Killer 

On September 13, 1985, the US Air Force used an F-15 Eagle to destroy an orbiting satellite. 

This use of an aircraft to shoot down a satellite was the first such event in history, showing our adversaries that space, in which the Soviets were attempting to build “killer satellites,” was an area that the US would also compete for. 

The test served as a warning to the Soviets of the strategic dangers of weaponizing space in the decades to come. 

The F-15 used a Vought ASM-135A Anti-Satellite Missile to destroy the U.S. Solwind P78-1 satellite at an altitude of 345 miles above Earth. The satellite was defunct and, at the time, caused controversy due to the space junk it left behind.

What Was The Vought ASM-135A Anti-Satellite Missile?

The Vought ASM-135A Anti-Satellite (ASAT) missile was a 1980s U.S. Air Force air-launched weapon designed to destroy enemy satellites in low Earth orbit using a “hit-to-kill” kinetic warhead. 

Carried by F-15 Eagle fighters, it proved successful, destroying an orbiting U.S. satellite in 1985, demonstrating the capability to neutralize orbital threats.

The weapon was a two-stage rocket equipped with a Miniature Homing Vehicle (MHV). In lieu of explosives, the MHV used an infrared sensor to identify the target and collide with it at roughly 15,000 mph, using the kinetic energy of its collision to destroy the satellite.

To achieve this, the F-15 fighter pilot had to execute a 3.8g vertical “zoom climb” to over 38,000 feet at Mach 1.22, and then release his missile.

Background On Anti-Satellite Warfare

Both the United States and the Soviet Union were heavily using satellites during the Cold War. The space race between the two superpowers began in 1957 with the Soviet launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite. The Soviets were the first to put a human into space as well.

The US and NASA then embarked upon an ambitious program that culminated with the US landing on the Moon in 1969.

And then both countries were also developing anti-satellite capability. 

The Soviets, and now Russia, continue to be actively developing and deploying co-orbital, maneuverable satellites—often dubbed “killer satellites”—designed to track, approach, and potentially disable U.S. spy satellites. 

Key programs include the Nivelir and Burevestnik initiatives, with specific satellites such as Cosmos-2558 and 2576 observed in suspicious, close-proximity, and, in some cases, spawning maneuvers near Western assets.

The US Developed Its Own ASAT Program

At the height of the Cold War, spanning from the 1960s to the present, the US developed its own capabilities, emphasizing “hit-to-kill” mechanisms. 

While developing the aforementioned direct-ascent missiles (such as the F-15-launched ASM-135) to counter Soviet threats, the modern US focus has shifted towards rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) and non-kinetic “soft” capabilities, such as jamming and cyber, rather than destructive kinetic testing.

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Congress cut funding for the ASM-135A and the ASAT program in 1988.

US Bans Direct Ascent Anti-Satellite Weapons

In April 2022, the US became the first nation to formally ban the testing of destructive, direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles that create a vast amount of space debris. 

The US ban was a unilateral commitment made by the Biden administration rather than a legally binding international treaty, though it encourages others to join in banning the weapons. 

The move by the US was prompted by Russia’s 2021 destructive ASAT test, which created over 1,500 pieces of trackable debris, and in 2007, China used a ground-based SC-19 ballistic missile to destroy a weather satellite. 

In 2008, the United States used a modified ship-based Standard Missile-3 missile defense interceptor to destroy a failed U.S. intelligence satellite.

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“This commitment is verifiable and attributable by many parties, and we encourage other countries to make similar commitments to build international support against…destructive direct-ascent [ASAT] missile tests,” the US stated in its press release of the ban.

The Golden Dome Missile Defense Initiative

In 2025, President Trump announced that the US was developing a $175 billion missile defense initiative called the Golden Dome.

The plan calls for the US to leverage many of its satellites and sensors to detect a ballistic missile launch early and use space-based interceptors to destroy missiles in their “boost phase” (initial ascent).

It is currently only in the conceptual phase of development, and the technology required to build such a missile shield is still far off.

However, as Reuters points out, “Golden Dome’s funding remains uncertain. Republican lawmakers have proposed a $25-billion initial investment for it as part of a broader $150-billion defense package.”

About the Author: Steve Balestrieri

Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.

In this article:Boeing, Defense, F-15, F-15C, F-15EX, F-15EX Eagle II, Military

Written BySteve Balestrieri

Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He has served as a US Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer before injuries forced his early separation. In addition to writing for 1945, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and his work was regularly featured in the Millbury-Sutton Chronicle and Grafton News newspapers in Massachusetts.

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