In our current era, where electronic warfare is becoming increasingly important, navigation systems such as GPS have become a prime target for jamming and disinformation operations. The reason for this is that modern armies, aircraft, ships, and even smartphones rely on signals from this system for extremely precise positioning, which makes disabling or tampering with it a major military advantage.
“GPS” is an abbreviation for “Global Positioning System,” which is a network of satellites that orbit the Earth and send radio signals to receivers on the ground. The device calculates its location by comparing the time it takes for signals to arrive from several satellites, thus determining the location with an accuracy of up to a few metres.
There are many techniques used in electronic warfare to disrupt this system, the most prominent of which are:
Jamming: It is the transmission of strong radio waves on the same frequency that GPS signals operate on. When the scrambled signal is stronger than the satellite signal, the receiver is unable to receive the original signal and thus loses the ability to determine location. Jammers are used that are portable or installed on aircraft, ships or even ground stations.
Phishing: In this method, fake GPS signals are sent that resemble the real ones. The device receives these signals and thinks they are coming from satellites, so it calculates an incorrect location. This technique is considered more dangerous because it not only disrupts the system, but also makes it give out misleading information.
Cyber attacks: It is also possible to attempt to penetrate the systems that manage satellites or ground control networks, which may lead to disruption of service or tampering with data.
Many systems rely on GPS, including smart missile guidance, drones, air and sea navigation, military command and control systems, and synchronized military communications. Therefore, disabling this system could confuse enemy forces and impair the accuracy of their weapons. With the development of electronic warfare, controlling information and signals has become no less important than traditional weapons.
Jamming navigation systems like GPS shows how conflict in electromagnetic space can directly impact military operations and the technology on which the modern world depends.
To confront these threats, some countries have developed technologies such as jam-resistant receivers, using alternative navigation systems such as GLONASS or Galileo, or integrating GPS with inertial navigation systems. (Erm News)
