View Full Version : GPS jamming from Kaliningrad?
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/09/finland-gps-disturbances-aircrafts-russia
Lordflasheart
10th Mar 2022, 08:10
...
GPS jamming -
Wouldn't doubt it for one minute. Regular event in the eastern Mediterranean.
Years ago it was suggested there was a GPS jammer on every 'telegraph pole' across mother russia. Leaves them with Glonass unfettered.
From the linked article ......
“Flying is still safe. Airlines have operational procedures for such situations if the GPS signal is lost,”
The problem is not so much when the GPS signal is lost, but when the signal is spoofed - meaning - you still get a recognisable signal and therefore no warning, but it puts you somewhere else ... ie, it tells you that you are where you think you are - but you ain't .... :uhoh:
LFH
...
ATC Watcher
10th Mar 2022, 08:32
Leaves them with Glonass unfettered.,
The easy solution to this is a cheap multi mode NAV receiver module enabling GLONASS and Galileo on your GPS. Avail for GA aircraft ( my aircraft is equipped) but not for large airliners mainly due to a US rule prohibiting to use Russian technology on any of its avionics...
lederhosen
10th Mar 2022, 10:52
Given the fairly large navigation accuracy tolerances when in the cruise I have never known it to account for more than a warning message on the box. In approach it is obviously more of a pain (limiting approach type options) but I can’t remember it ever making much practical difference either. East of Cyprus is the classic area I used to come across it. In a war situation and with active spoofing things may be different.
But then there seem to be GPS only airports?Lithuanian airline Transaviabaltika said it had been forced to cancel 18 flights between Helsinki and Savonlinna in eastern Finland after the lack of GPS made it impossible to land because Savonlinna airport does not have alternative navigation equipment.
“We have made three attempts to fly to Savonlinna. So far, we have not succeeded,” Rene Must, a manager from Transaviabaltika told Reuters.
EddyCurr
10th Mar 2022, 19:50
Perhaps elimination of energy-intensive back-up nav equipment is part of an initiative to reduce Savonlinna's GHG emissions ...
The facility is scheduled to close for renovations from 2022.05.02 to 2022.06.24. From a FINAVIA announcement (https://www.finavia.fi/en/newsroom/2022/finavia-invest-runway-improvements-savonlinna-airport-summer-2022):
.“Savonlinna Airport is carbon-neutral. Using LED lights to replace our runway lighting system enables us to improve the airport’s energy efficiency and reduce emissions."
EcamSurprise
12th Mar 2022, 07:18
Given the fairly large navigation accuracy tolerances when in the cruise I have never known it to account for more than a warning message on the box. In approach it is obviously more of a pain (limiting approach type options) but I can’t remember it ever making much practical difference either. East of Cyprus is the classic area I used to come across it. In a war situation and with active spoofing things may be different.
Routing down around Cyprus and beyond I’ve had a few cases recently where it caused the FDs to demand a full fly left or full fly right on one side, which was new to me after years of just seeing warning messages.
It seems to be when the interference causes one GPS to have no signal and the other to come back but thinking it’s in the Southern Hemisphere.
It has happened 3 times to me now on the A320.
richardthethird
12th Mar 2022, 08:02
Had a GPS fault into KRK the other day - I did wonder if it had been due to jamming.
lederhosen
12th Mar 2022, 09:10
Interesting update EcamSurprise and that does sound like an alarming escalation.
gnirtS
12th Mar 2022, 11:47
Long term lurk here but this might be of use.
ADSBExchange has a flag where it can show a/c reporting degraded GPS on ADSB.
globe. adsbexchange. com/?badgps (not sure i can post active links but basically ADSB Exchange site with the flag ?badgps after it).
Obviously a single aircraft in a place is likely just something unrelated but whole groups of aircraft showing it in a cluster is highly suggestive. Just needs nearby traffic in an area to report it.
Kaliningrad showed this last night and the well known cluster out of Syria, Kirkuk along with Ankara, Istanbul and Moscow show up every day.
EcamSurprise
12th Mar 2022, 12:15
Interesting update EcamSurprise and that does sound like an alarming escalation.
I thought so too, as we starting turning off the airway. Or were we on the airway to start with?
Alanwsg
13th Mar 2022, 09:29
Even the Royal Navy is getting in on the act ....
https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/airspace-and-gps-restricted-for-carrier-visit-to-scotland/