News Excerpt:

Estonia has accused neighbouring Russia of jamming GPS navigation devices in airspace above the Baltic states, echoing concerns from airlines that say they have been contending with such interference for months.

More in news:

• There have been reports of a rise in GPS interference around the world, particularly since last year, raising fears of an increased risk of accidents if planes veer off-course.
• The Finnish airline Finnair has decided to temporarily suspend its flights to Tartu in Estonia for a month due to GPS disturbances.
• The disturbances have escalated since 2022, with Finnair pilots reporting interference, particularly in areas near the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, Kaliningrad and the Eastern Mediterranean.

What is GPS jamming and spoofing?

• Global Positioning System (GPS) is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ships and planes to cars.
• GPS is an important navigation tools in aviation, which has replaced expensive ground devices that would transmit radio beams to guide planes towards landing.
• However, it is also fairly easy using store-bought tools to block or distort GPS signals and militaries have invested in technology that can do so.
• GPS jamming:
• GPS jamming uses a frequency transmitting device to block or interfere with radio communications, usually by broadcasting signals from the ground that are stronger than satellite-based signals.
• Spoofing:
• GPS Spoofing might involve one country's military sending false GPS signals to an enemy plane or drone to hinder its ability to function and is often considered more disruptive and dangerous than jamming.
• The problem for commercial aviation comes if that false signal is picked up by a GPS receiver in a passenger plane, potentially confusing the pilot and air traffic control by showing the wrong time or coordinates without warning.

Other incidents of GPS jamming and spoofing:

• In December 2023, aviation advisory body OPSGROUP flagged a surge in spoofing affecting private and commercial jets around the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran and Israel, and the Black Sea.
• It tends to impact areas close to war zones as the technology is used to send suicide drones off-track.

Why is it a problem for airlines?

• Most modern airliners have a variety of sensors and sources to determine their positioning, in addition to GPS, meaning they can fly if there is interference.
• However, according to pilots and industry experts, airlines still rely primarily on GPS. 
  • If jamming or spoofing occurs, GPS might have to be switched off and cannot be reset for the remainder of the flight in many cases.
  • That can cause stress and delays for take-off and landing because certain procedures require GPS to function.

• GPS navigation is also the only form of navigation for some private jets.
• Given the diverse nature of jamming and spoofing devices, it's difficult for the airline sector to come up with a sweeping technological solution that can mitigate the risk.
• Instead, authorities are looking to train pilots to verify jamming and spoofing sooner.