DGCA issues advisory on jamming, spoofing of navigation signals in airspace

Bengaluru: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday issued an advisory circular on interference with the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in airspace, highlighting the threats GNSS jamming and spoofing pose for aircraft operations. 

In view of the increasingly reported instances of satellite signal jamming in airspace in the Middle East in the past few months, the DGCA had formed an internal committee on the matter on October 4.

According to the DGCA, the circular provides a  practical road map and action plan to deal with the threat of GNSS interference in airspace in an effective manner.

GNSS jamming refers to interference on GNSS frequencies from external sources, which could lead to the aircraft losing position information. GNSS spoofing refers to interference using fake position signals. The two phenomena can cause significant failure in aircraft navigation systems.

Experts suggest the increasing jamming could be a result of the ongoing Israel-Palestine war, which is turning into an electronic war. 

“The circular highlights the emerging threats of GNSS jamming and spoofing, the various geographical areas where it has been observed, and its potential impact on aircraft and ground-based systems,” the regulator said in a statement.

Earlier this month, the European Union’s civil aviation regulator issued an updated safety bulletin to airlines advising, among other mitigating measures, to educate their pilots on possible spoofing and jamming of satellite signals and include them in their recurrent training.

“Furthermore, the circular provides comprehensive mitigation measures and action plan for aircraft operators, pilots, ANSP and air traffic controllers which includes development of contingency procedures in coordination with equipment manufacturers, and assessing operational risk by conducting a safety risk assessment,” the DGCA said.

Modern aircraft rely on the GNSS for navigation but are also equipped with conventional navigation systems that can compute an aircraft’s position independently without help from satellite signals. 

“It is key that modern pilots must be trained to navigate using conventional navigation systems for instances like these to avoid massive destruction. Today, pilots totally rely on GNSS for navigation and end up as more of systems managers,” said Capt Sanjay Karve NM, Retired Director Aviation and Accountable Manager Govt of Maharashtra. "We are certain that DGCA will suitably modify the refresher/training profiles for pilots," he added.

“World airline dependence on GNSS and GPS can act as a double-edged sword, pilots increasingly are complacent with conventional raw data navigation. In view of current challenges, it is imperative that all airlines work with their pilots on currency with conventional analogue ground-based navigation systems,” Mark Martin,  chief executive of Martin Consulting added. 

The circular also provides for a mechanism for ANSP to establish a ‘Threat Monitoring and Analysis Network’ in close coordination with DGCA for preventive as well as reactive threat monitoring and analysis of reports of GNSS interference. This would help generate insights with data and new developments to enable the development of a robust and immediate threat response.

Industry insiders cheered the move by DGCA to make reporting of any event of actual or suspected GNSS Interference compulsory for all operators, flight crew, air navigation service providers and air traffic controllers. "Now the count on monthly reports will tell how well we are on this path," said a source. 

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