GNSS Jamming News

Instances of GPS jamming in the northeastern part of Norway have become so common that it is now considered a dangerous flying zone. Jamming is so common now that authorities decided to stop logging jamming occurrences.

A major quantum sensing breakthrough has been made by scientists at Sandia National Labs, which could lead to a future of GPS-free navigation. The motion sensor development will help achieve successful velocity, acceleration, and navigation in GPS-denied environments, among other expanded applications.

According to the Pentagon, China and Russia are cooperating in the north Arctic, conducting activities that threaten to "destabilize" the US and its allies. These activities include GPS jamming and other navigation disruption techniques that could open up the possibility of long-range missile attacks in the right scenario.

The rise of GPS interference, particularly in regions bordering the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel, have prompted the collaboration of global airlines and aviation organizations to combat the potential fallout.

It is expected that airlines will be a key partner in developing effective strategies to build resilience against the growing number of GPS jamming and spoofing events.

Over the last couple of months, North Korea has been jamming GPS signals near maritime borders and sending trash-filled balloons over the DMZ into South Korea. The GPS jamming instances come alongside live-fire drills and ballistics missile tests near contested waters - a cause for concern in the ongoing political conflict between the north and south.

The Institute for the Study of War confirmed last week that a transatlantic flight was unable to ascend to a certain height because of local GPS jamming. They went on to explain that while this was an isolated incident, similar GPS jamming could disrupt thousand of flights if deployed in a more widespread manner.

A compact ADA system introduced by Israel Aerospace Industries will help protect avionic systems from GNSS jamming - ensuring the position, timing, and navigation for aircraft operating in the airspace. The system's versatility makes it compatible with numerous platforms and has been introduced in Israel and abroad.

Finlands largest commercial airline, Finnair, has made the decision to halt their daily flights to Tartu, Estonia for the month of May. The decision came after two incidents involving heavy GNSS interference. GNSS jamming and GNSS spoofing have both increased in the region as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

For several months, spoofed GNSS signals have listed planes and ships in unlikely locations. Students at the University of Texas traced the spoofing signals back to an Israeli military base. The spoofing is likely an attempt to deter rocket and missile attacks amidst the conflict in Gaza.

More than 2200 Ryanair flights have reported incidents of GNSS interference since August 2023. The bulk of these GPS jamming incidents happened over the Baltics, leaving many suggesting Russia is to blame.

While illegal in the United States, the sale of GPS and GNSS jammers is common, and even your average citizen can get their hands on them. Without international cooperation to limit the sale and control of jamming devices, it is unlikely that we will see a decline in GNSS jamming occurrences anytime soon.

As incidents of GNSS jamming and spoofing continue to grow, aviation manufacturers look to help solve the problem. Navigation systems that do not rely on GPS may be part of the solution, although the current technology might not be enough for precision navigation.