GPS Jamming

[Eric Janson]

GPS Jamming is occurring in several areas of the World.

My Airline has just issued a detailed briefing covering this issue - it has also been added to the airbus FCOM.

FCOM → Normal Procedures → Supplementary Procedures → GPS INTERFERENCES for those of you who fly airbus.

I did a flight yesterday to a destination where the GPS signals are jammed.

Approaching destination we started getting numerous intermittent warnings - we used the Emergency Cancel function to stop them.

This was followed by a downgrading of navigation capability.

We could no longer select 'Terrain' on the Navigation displays.

We changed the clock reference from GPS to the internal clock INT position. A lot of systems require a time input.

We did a full IRS alignment on the ground using the gate position.

Accuracy after take-off was high enough to allow the use of 'Terrain' on the Navigation displays.

What we did not get initially was VOR/DME or DME/DME updating - we just flew with the mix IRS position.

Some useful links

Airbus Safety First – GNSS Interference (https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/gnssinterference/)
 OPSGROUP - Flights misled over position, navigation failure follows article (
https://ops.group/blog/gps-spoof-attacks-irs/)
 FAA warning issued, further serious navigation failures reported
(https://ops.group/blog/faa-warning-navigation-failures/)
 ICAO GNSS Interferences
(https://www.icao.int/Meetings/a41/Docum ... 196_en.pdf)

We're working in an increasingly hostile environment.

[DanWEC]

Thanks for the info. It's happening in localized areas on NAT tracks as well, and we're getting communication on it.
The fact it's happening over the ocean suggests it could be satellite or AWACS based.

[goldeneagle]

Thanks for the info. It's happening in localized areas on NAT tracks as well, and we're getting communication on it.
The fact it's happening over the ocean suggests it could be satellite or AWACS based.

Could be from a ship.

[DanWEC]

Very true. Heck even a near-surfaced sub.

[Commonwealth]

This has happened in Canada before. A jammer was left turned on inside a car at a YEG parkade. I believe Industry Canada has the ability to locate such devices and the matter was referred to the RCMP.