Originally Posted by
DODGYOLDFART
I believe back in the day of Regan's "Star Wars" project, evidence was deliberately leaked to the USSR that the Patriot System was intended for use in space against their ICBM's. Apparently the con worked and was one of the reasons the USSR caved in. So perhaps the Russians are now playing catch-up?
It was a fact that in the 1980's, the Aegis / SPY 1 system on the CGs (Ticonderoga class) had to have a software patch installed to limit certain radar modes due to compliance with the ABM treaty. I don't know of the current SPY systems' being so disabled; the Navy within the past decade demonstrated anti satellite capability from an Aegis ship when something from space (that was IIRC in a decaying orbit and coming down) got hit by a Standard missile. (Thinking SM-3, but memory may be tricking me). I have a vague idea that we even talked about it on this forum.
THAAD was supposed to be able to reach up into lower space, at one point, but I am so out of date on that system that I can't say with any certainty.