What are the threats from GNSS spoofing?, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• Aircraft flying over Delhi reported GNSS spoofing incidents in early November 2025, causing navigation errors.
• The government, under the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) led by Ajit Doval, has ordered an inquiry into the matter.
• The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a stricter Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) requiring pilots and air traffic controllers to report such events within 10 minutes.
• The International Air Transport Aviation (IATA) proposed a multi-faceted approach to address the growing risk of GNSS spoofing to aviation safety.

Detailed Insights:

• GNSS spoofing involves sending misleading satellite signals to airborne receivers, causing incorrect navigation data, false terrain warnings, and increased pilot workload.
• Such incidents were previously rare in inland metropolitan airspace, mainly occurring in conflict zones or border regions since 2023, but have now been reported near Delhi.
• Modern aircraft rely on GNSS for accurate positioning, navigation, and timing, and tampering with these signals can affect terrain warning systems, automatic braking, and communication links.
• According to the OPS Group, GPS spoofing significantly impacted civil aviation starting in September 2023, affecting approximately 1,500 flights per day by August 2024.
• IATA's proposed solutions include standardized reporting, cross-border cooperation, stricter regulation of jamming devices, advanced detection systems, and resilient GNSS receivers.

Key Concepts Involved:

• GNSS Spoofing: Sending misleading satellite signals to deceive receivers about their location.
• NOTAM (Notice to Airmen): A notice containing information about potential hazards along a flight route.
• Inertial Reference System: A navigation system that uses motion sensors to track an object's position and orientation.