A plane carrying European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen was hit by GPS jamming over Bulgaria in a suspected Russian operation.
The plane landed safely in Plovdiv airport and Ms von der Leyen will continue her planned tour of the EU nations bordering Russia and Belarus, according to the commission’s spokesperson, Arianna Podesta.
“We can indeed confirm that there was GPS jamming,” said Ms Podesta. “We have received information from the Bulgarian authority that they suspect that this was due to blatant interference by Russia.”
Ms von der Leyen, a fierce critic of Russian president Vladimir Putin and Moscow’s war in Ukraine, is on a four-day tour of the EU nations bordering Russia and its ally Belarus.
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There have been reports of a rise in GPS interference around the world, particularly since last year, raising fears of an increased risk of accidents if planes veer off-course
What is GPS jamming?
GPS, short for Global Positioning System, is a network of satellites and receiving devices used for positioning, navigation and timing on Earth in everything from ships and planes to cars.
GPS is one of the more important navigation tools in aviation, which has replaced expensive ground devices that transmitted radio beams to guide planes towards landing.
However, it is also relatively easy to block or distort GPS signals. At the most basic level, this can be done by easy using store-bought tools. Militaries have also invested in technology that can do so.
[ Ursula von der Leyen’s plane targeted by suspected Russian GPS interferenceOpens in new window ]
GPS jamming uses a frequency transmitting device to block or interfere with radio communications, usually by broadcasting signals from the ground that are stronger than satellite-based signals.
“Spoofing” might involve one country’s military sending false GPS signals to an enemy plane or drone to hinder its ability to function. This is often considered more disruptive and dangerous than jamming.
The problem for commercial aviation comes if that false signal is picked up by a GPS receiver in a passenger plane, potentially confusing the pilot and air-traffic control by showing the wrong time or co-ordinates without warning.
Where does it occur?
In December, an aviation advisory body flagged a surge in spoofing affecting private and commercial jets around the Middle East, including Iraq, Iran and Israel, and the Black Sea.
It tends to impact areas close to war zones as the technology is used to send suicide drones off-track.
Baltic countries have reported the issue for years, particularly since the war in Ukraine began in 2022.
Over the past six months, jamming has worsened around the Baltic Sea, according to Lauri Soini, a Finnair pilot and Finnish Pilots Association Safety and Security Committee chair.
Soini said GPS jamming now occurs in an area extending from Poland across the Baltic states to the Swedish and Finnish coasts, also affecting lower altitudes and maritime traffic.
While politicians and European officials have pointed to Russia as the main culprit in the Baltic States, Western militaries – including US and British forces – could be using some form of the technology in parts of the world.
Why is it a problem for airlines?
Most modern airliners have a variety of sensors and sources to determine their positioning, in addition to GPS, meaning they can fly if there is interference.
However, according to pilots and industry experts, airlines still rely primarily on GPS. If jamming or spoofing occurs, GPS might have to be switched off and cannot be reset for the remainder of the flight in many cases.
That can cause stress and delays for take-off and landing because certain procedures require GPS to function.
GPS navigation is also the only form of navigation for some private jets.
Given the diverse nature of jamming and spoofing devices, it is difficult for the airline sector to come up with a sweeping technological solution that can mitigate the risk.
Instead, authorities are looking to train pilots to verify jamming and spoofing sooner. - Agencies
