There's a techno-thriller out there that has ASAT's kicked out the back of a C-141 in order to take out a Soviet constellation of laser-armed satellites that were controlling access to the orbitals. As I remember the details, the satellites were in a highly elliptical orbit giving increased loiter time over the northern hemisphere but coming in just above the atmosphere over the South Pole. The C-141 staged out of Chile to shoot down these satellites. Sorry, I don't remember the name of the novel nor the author.