Is Putin trying to knock out West’s GPS network? EU aviation authorities claim satellites are under constant ‘jamming’ or ‘spoofing’ attacks disrupting navigation from Finland to the Mediterranean
- Airlines have been warned to watch out for false or inaccurate GPS systems
- Russia has been accused of jamming or spoofing the international network
- The European Aviation Safety Agency said flights do not need suspending
- It has asked airlines to forward any reports of aircraft receiving dodgy data
Russia has been accused of interfering with the global GPS navigation system during a major Nordic war game in Finland.
European aviation authorities have said signals, heavily used by commercial aircraft, have been affected from Finland, through the Mediterranean and even as far as Iraq.
Disruptions to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), which include GPS, are caused by the ‘jamming’ or ‘spoofing’ of satellite signals.
Since the war erupted on February 24, ‘jamming and/or possible spoofing has intensified in geographical areas surrounding the conflict zone and other areas,’ the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said in an online bulletin Thursday.
Vladimir Putin, pictured, was been accused of ordering his troops to jam the global GPS network, making navigation more difficult, according to the European Aviation Safety Agency
The European Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines to be aware of possible attacks on teh integrity of the GPS system and ensure pilots do not rely on the satellite based system
The European Airline Safety Agency has warned GPS signals in an area from Finland to Iraq has been disrupted
The EASA said the issue was observed in the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, the Baltics, eastern Finland, the Black Sea, the eastern Mediterranean and northern Iraq.
‘The effects of GNSS jamming and/or possible spoofing were observed by aircraft in various phases of their flights, in certain cases leading to re-routing or even to change the destination due to the inability to perform a safe landing procedure,’ the agency said.
But the agency said it is unlikely that they will need to suspend flight operations.
EASA asked all air transit workers to report any GPS anomalies and warned that aircraft operators should be ready to use other navigation tools in case of satellite malfunctions.
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