Security agencies act following disruptions to satellite navigation in the Baltic Sea 

Admin I Sunday, Feb. 03, 2024

 

BERLIN – German security researchers, aviation experts and military personnel are monitoring the GPS interference closely, locating specific sources of interference, though these have not been made public.

“Since December 2023, sporadic interference with the navigation signals emitted by the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite navigation system has been reported from the north-eastern area of German airspace,” the German Transport Ministry told dpa.

The ministry is updating agencies including Germany’s Federal Network Agency, which is responsible for protecting the electromagnetic spectrum, on the situation, as well as the German Armed Forces and airspace users.

“The Federal Network Agency would also be responsible for initiating countermeasures,” the ministry said.

Specialists say Russia could be one possible source of the disruptions. Moscow protects its own cities with a kind of jamming shield against attacks.

In the Baltic Sea region, there is currently strong interference with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reception. “However, this phenomenon is not entirely new. The interference has been observed in crisis regions for some time,” says the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).

The disturbance does not present an acute risk to pilots and ship captains using such systems but it has led to changes and flight cancellations, DLR said.

The DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation is working on countermeasures including an alternative navigation system, R-MODE, that is being tested in the Baltic Sea, allowing ships to determine their position if GNSS interference occurs by using other radio signals.