In the article below, CAST Navigation examines escalating jamming and spoofing occurrences in the aviation industry, exploring their hazards and regulatory responses.
Rising Interference Events
Strongest signal disturbances happen near Russia’s Ukrainian, Baltic, and Black Sea borders. Middle Eastern regions also experience GPS/GNSS interruptions. Pacific Rim areas recently saw similar issues. Interference effects can extend beyond conflict zones. June witnessed initial commercial trans-Atlantic flight jamming. The plane’s receiver, likely affected by Baltic interference, hadn’t recovered upon reaching oceanic airspace.
Conflict participants may actively disrupt satellite navigation. Among prominent GPS spoofing sources in Eastern Mediterranean is an Israeli military installation near Lebanon’s border, according to University of Texas researchers analyzing public air traffic data.
Wars aren’t sole drivers of such incidents. Finland reported significant GPS interference increase. Transportation regulators recorded 600 events throughout 2023 but observed 200 occurrences in 2024’s first quarter. While sharing Russian border contributes, authorities also noted Finnish drivers increasingly using local jammers to conceal locations.
Accidental jamming occurs too. Inadequately shielded electronics can emit frequencies interfering with GPS signals. Such unintentional disruption caused a 2022 event affecting GPS L1 reception for 33 hours near Denver International Airport. Organizations monitoring GPS performance have detected sporadic disruptions in Texas and Oklahoma during business hours, excluding weekends and holidays. These recurring events are easily identifiable and addressable.
Aviation Risks Increase
While jamming forces pilots towards conventional navigation systems, it may impact other GPS-dependent flight equipment. RNAV might become impossible, and position-reliant flight management systems could report inaccurate information.
Spoofing poses greater dangers as GPS/GNSS systems appear normal. Crews may detect issues when comparing outputs from different navigation systems. However, spoofing can trigger false Terrain Avoidance and Warning System (TAWS) alerts, as experienced by aircraft at 33,000 feet over Saudi Arabia.
Planes near conflict zones face heightened spoofing risks. Misleading positional data could lead aircraft off course, potentially crossing hostile airspace and risking attack.
Regulatory Guidance Evolves
All agencies stress prompt reporting’s importance, ensuring awareness among incoming aircraft and facilitating swift governmental responses. Recently, global regulators updated guidance documents addressing this growing concern for operators, crews, controllers, and manufacturers.
January 2024 saw US Federal Aviation Administration issue a Safety Alert of Operators (SAFO) helping stakeholders manage GPS/GNSS service disruptions. Crews should maintain vigilance, verify GPS/GNSS outputs using conventional aids, and prepare for reverting to standard procedures.
European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) updated its GNSS safety information bulletin (SIB) in July – third revision since early 2022. Based on recent events, the SIB expanded spoofing risk details. EASA recommends equipment manufacturers assess jamming/spoofing impacts, advise customers on event detection, and suggest operational strategies during interference.
CAST Navigation Solutions
CAST Navigation’s GNSS/INS simulators allow manufacturers to test equipment under varied lab conditions. Scenarios can replicate GNSS situations anywhere, anytime. Adding CAST’s jammer module introduces active interference into testing.
Configuring simulators with jammer capability gives engineers precise control over simulated interference sources, including waveform types, power levels, and trajectories. Output isn’t limited to single-element Fixed Reception Pattern Antennas (FRPA). CAST Jammer generates independent outputs for up to eight antenna elements in Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPAs) systems.
Read the full article here, or visit the CAST Navigation website to find out more.
