When GPS jammers interfere with military operations
As technologies advance, there are seemingly endless threats to thwart and the race is always against the clock. The development of unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as “drones”, adds additional complexity to multi-domain military operations on an increasingly complex and unpredictable battlefield.
Recent reports in Syria highlight the inclusion of these elements in an evolving battlespace. One of the simplest threats to drones is blocking or scrambling the reception of a signal from a GPS satellite. This "GPS jamming" can have a significant operational impact on military missions and is likely to become increasingly prevalent. According to an NBC article, the Russians are using the GPS jammer against the US military's smallest surveillance plane.
For those familiar with these operations, this type of attack is not surprising and teams plan for disruptions with a combination of tools. Using a multi-domain modeling system prepares operators to analyze GPS reception in an area of operations and the possibility of this interfering with the aircraft receiving GPS signals.
gps jammer signal blocker
The Systems Tool Kit (STK) contains a quick tutorial on how to determine if a small, handheld GPS jammer may be interfering with your mission. One can also determine how spectrum filters or adaptive phased array cancellation can address this, or design new systems like other phenomenologies to achieve positioning, such as celestial navigation, that work in this denied environment.
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