Global Positioning System (GPS) Interference
Why it Matters?
The rising incidents of GPS interference, especially spoofing and jamming, pose serious risks to global air and maritime navigation systems.
What You Should Know?
GPS interference involves deliberate spoofing or jamming of Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, disrupting navigation in aircraft, ships, and ground vehicles.
Jamming (also called GPS intervention) occurs when a device emits strong radio signals to overpower legitimate satellite signals, making the GPS receiver unable to determine position or time.
Spoofing is when a device transmits fake GPS signals, misleading the receiver into accepting false location data.
Electromagnetic interference, ionospheric disturbances, and solar flares can also cause unintentional GPS disruption.
GPS spoofing can lead to misjudgment of aircraft position, increasing risks of mid-air collisions, or causing ships to run aground or collide, disrupting maritime traffic.
In 2024, there were up to 700 daily incidents of GPS spoofing worldwide, posing risks to critical infrastructure such as Air Traffic Control (ATC), Port Operations, and Vessel Traffic Systems (VTS).
Ground transport systems using GPS can be manipulated during emergencies, potentially triggering traffic chaos or immobilization.
Recent Cases of Concern:
A Delhi–Jammu flight was forced to return mid-air due to GPS spoofing.
GPS interference caused tanker collisions in the Strait of Hormuz and a container ship grounding near Jeddah port.
In the Red Sea, spoofing incidents rose by 350% in Q1 2025 compared to 2024.
In 2017, Russia experienced the first large-scale spoofing incident when over 20 ships near Novorossiysk Port showed fake positions miles inland.
Mitigation Measures by Aircraft:
Aircraft switch to Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) using gyroscopes and accelerometers to determine position from the last known location.
Very High Frequency (VHF) Omnidirectional Range (VOR) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) offer ground-based radio navigation.
Instrument Landing Systems (ILS), used for landing precision, remain unaffected by spoofing.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has advised airlines to train crews in situational awareness and alternative navigation methods.
Mitigation Measures by Ships:
Ships under spoofing attacks switch to manual steering (helm control) and use terrestrial navigation methods like lighthouses and marine radar.
Adoption of Multi-Constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), including GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (European Union), and BeiDou (China) helps reduce overdependence on one system.
India’s NavIC:
India has developed Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), created by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for positioning and timing services across India and up to 1,500 km beyond.
India opted for NavIC after the United States (US) denied GPS access during the 1999 Kargil War, and shut down GPS signals during BrahMos missile tests in 2009 and 2012, leading to mission failures.