Background and current situation

　　In recent years, experts have become increasingly concerned about Russia's GPS interference on European aviation flights. Interference incidents have occurred frequently, affecting civilian flights in the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. signal jammer The Baltic States are particularly affected, which is one of the areas where Russian military activities are most frequent. On May 2, 2024, BBC Monitoring Russia Editor Vitaly Shevchenko reported on the situation, citing relevant data and views from Finnair and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).cell phone jammer

　　Finnair reported that its flights to Tartu, Estonia were severely affected due to GPS signal interference.Wifi jammer In March this year, the Royal Air Force aircraft carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps also encountered GPS signal interference when approaching Russian territory. GPS jammer Because Tartu Airport relies on GPS signals, Finnair had to suspend this route for a month. Juho Sinkkonen, vice president of flight operations at Finnair, said that although these interferences are mainly nuisance in nature, they still pose a potential threat to aviation operations.

　　Impact and response of GPS interference

　　Despite the frequent interference incidents, airlines and safety experts believe that GPS interference poses a limited direct threat to flight safety. This is because modern aircraft are able to use other navigation systems during flight to ensure safety during approach and landing. However, interference still leads to reduced operational efficiency and increased pilot workload.

　　Cyrille Rosay, a senior cybersecurity expert at the European Aviation Safety Agency, pointed out that although the interference problem existed before Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, it has worsened in recent years. Rosay said that EASA records thousands of interference incidents every year, showing the severity of the problem. The British Ministry of Defense also confirmed that the GPS signal of the plane that Shapps was on was interrupted on its way back to Poland.

　　Russia's responsibility and motivation

　　Baltic officials did not hesitate to blame Russia. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna told the BBC that they had evidence that the source of interference came from the Russian region near St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad and Pskov. Online investigators also pointed out that the jammer may be located in the area between St. Petersburg and Estonia, near Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea.

　　Chakna said that Russia violated the territory of the Baltic countries by jamming GPS signals and threatened the safety of people and civilian aircraft. This behavior violates international agreements and shows Russia's destructive impact on regional stability. Russia's interference behavior is both offensive and defensive. Keir Giles, director of the British think tank Conflict Research Center, believes that Russia is testing its ability to paralyze Europe on the one hand, and protecting itself from possible missile and drone attacks on the other.

　　Technology and response strategies of interference

　　GPS interference mainly includes two forms: signal blocking and signal deception. Signal blocking is the most common form, that is, interfering with legitimate signals so that they cannot work properly. Signal deception is more complicated, that is, replacing legitimate signals with false signals, indicating the wrong location. These interferences not only affect air flights, but also affect maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea.

　　Faced with these interferences, airlines and security agencies have taken a series of countermeasures. Dana Goward, president of the Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, pointed out that although aircraft have backup systems to deal with GPS interference, interference signals still pose a serious risk. Our systems and society are built around precise GPS signals, and interference will lead to reduced efficiency and safety of aviation systems.