How aviation sector is tackling rise in GPS jamming and spoofing incidents, Pg13

Key Highlights:

• Incidents of GPS jamming and spoofing have increased globally, raising concerns about flight safety.
• The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) reported such incidents near Delhi airport, with reports from other major airports like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata.
• GPS spoofing incidents particularly rose around Delhi airport in November.
• IATA data indicates a 220% jump in GPS signal loss events between 2021 and 2024.

Detailed Insights:

• Jamming involves overpowering GNSS receivers with strong radio interference, making navigation temporarily unusable, often deliberate.
• Spoofing is a deliberate act of transmitting counterfeit signals to deceive the receiver about the aircraft's position or time.
• EASA considers GNSS interference a significant safety risk, especially in conflict zones and regions like the eastern Mediterranean, West Asia, Baltic Sea, and the Arctic.
• Aircraft rely on GNSS for position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information, but these signals are weak and vulnerable to interference.
• Pilots are trained to identify jamming or spoofing by cross-referencing data and switching to other navigational aids, and modern aircraft have multiple sensors for position, speed, and altitude.

Key Concepts Involved:

• GPS (Global Positioning System): A U.S.-owned global navigation satellite system providing location and time information.
• GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System): A general term for satellite navigation systems like GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, and BeiDou.
• Jamming: Intentionally disrupting GNSS signals with radio interference.
• Spoofing: Transmitting false GNSS signals to mislead receivers about location or time.