Spy satellites

Reduce the range of long range radar planes and add spy satellites.
Satellites would have no range limits and never sustain damage. You'd require a space center before you could buy the satellite. This would increase the use of space centers and add a cool new product to the space industry. It would also make space centers a target during war, adding a dimension to the war game and ensuring players keep a couple of long rang radar planes in reserve and defend their space centers.

Thoughts anyone?

The real world physics of spy satellites is much less glamorous than you'd think.

A Satellite in Geostationary orbit will provide "Surveillance" 24/7 Which is ideal, but only if the location your observing is on or near the equator.

Unfortunately the height of the orbit is so great that you cant really get good photographs of small objects on a clear sunny day. You might make out exceptionally large structures but that's about it for current camera technology.

Radar could work but it's also easily countered and there are far better options for deploying radar surveillance, specifically radar aircraft.

So put up a bigger better camera right? Well, Simply put you'd need a satellite with a camera lens roughly the size of a football field for it to work. Technically possible but it has not been done in the real world for logistical and maintenance reasons as there are far FAR better options.

Next you'd assume just use a non equatorial lower orbit, supposing you want to observe something away from the equator. We have cameras that can manage that easy but the problem now is time over target. Excluding geosync satellites satellites don't just sit stationary over a spot on the planet surface, their orbital velocity is so high you have only a small window to get the photographs you need. And your next time around due to rotation of the planet your target will no longer be in view of your orbital path. By the time that next window does come around your target may be obscured by clouds, poor atmospheric conditions, or nightfall. Or it may have simply just itself moved elsewhere.

The better option in all these scenarios is literally radar/spy planes and ground recon.

Lol cameras. Did you get this information from the 1950's? It's all MASINT, SIGINT and radar imaging these days.

The physics involved in orbital dynamics and optics have not magically changed over time. And as I said, there are more cost effective methods that we already have in game.


There are many reasons why spy satellites are not a prominent thing. Don't get me wrong they DO exist but there not a device for primary intelligence gathering like your thinking.

Wiretapping, covert agents. Recon ops Static radar installations, sonar buoy's Spy/radar planes. Far far cheaper and more effective options

Satellites are extremely expensive high profile objects. Orbital planes are documented and regulated internationally. Bad things happen when you don't, read up on Kessler Syndrome.

What makes more sense?

Put up a multi billion dollar satellite cluster with a finite mission viability, will get poor time over target only able to briefly take radar snapshots of targets that may or may not be high profile depending on if you happen to fly over said target. Take a few minutes of communication interception before the target is beyond the horizon.
Eventually gets figured out by your unfriendly neighbors because every single orbital plane adjustment has to be logged internationally to prevent things from smashing into other things and it starts to look really sus. Then gets blown up by a couple million dollar ASW. Resulting in an orbital slot that is basically unusable until the debris finally falls out of it and eventually back to the planet.

Or

A 1.43 billion (On KB) Radar Plane that can sit outside of a combat zone legally in friendly airspace and completely blanket a neighboring country (in this game they are small) in Radar surveillance.

Military satellites facilitate communication not intelligence gathering. There's a reason why we have radar aircraft surveillance drones and AN/APG-78 Longbows that play peekaboo with tank battalions using defilade.

You're conflating the tactical elements of warfare with strategic. An Apache or Reaper can locate armour on the battlefield but is useless for gauging an enemy strength before a war is even declared.

It nevertheless is intelligence gathering. Its not always about the grand scheme especially in the skirmish warfare this game depicts.

The open skies treaty was a mutual agreement that involved many nations to allow each other to fly surveillance aircraft over each other not satellites.

Personally I don't care I don't play the PVP and you'll probably use that as an excuse to say nothing I've said matters.

The point is, its unrealistic and I've said my peace.