GPS jamming

Refueler

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Yesterday I rec'd a comment from visiting yachts that GPS was acting weirdly passing Kaliningrad .... this is the Russian enclave on East Baltic side ...

How far out from Kaliningrad it reaches ???
 
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I though GPS was just a aid to navigation?

Although i am tottaly huilty of using it alot, but where i sail, i am confident with local knowledge.

Sailed back from Sarl to Jersey just yesterday, and both units were sporadically bleeting NO SIGNAL.

This is also why i like my stand alone tiller pilot.

Just dont touch anything and check your compass every 5 mins!

Vis was under 1000 meters
 

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I don't do flying, but from what I have been told, some companies, like Ryanair, do not know where they are heading without their GPS being jammed anyway. The way things are going it won't be long before the RN will be advertising for all our old, out of date, charts, to suplement their emergency stocks :D
It is a bit frightening to look at the map & realise that most of the areas are around conflicts & even then does not show how bad the world wide picture would be.
 
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dunedin

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Affecting flying, blaming Russia. I thought this threat was a thing of the past ?
Why would it be a thing of the past?
GPS / GNSS signals are extremely weak and easily disrupted - whether accidentally /natural causes or intentionally.
And surely you must have noticed a few recent rises in international tensions and military activity in recent years?
Hence why RIN and others are keen to avoid over reliance on GNSS positions.
 

wonkywinch

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To reassure non aviators, modern aircraft nav displays fix position from a variety of sources apart from GPS, ie internal IRS (inertial reference system) and ground based DME (distance measuring equipment).

There has been reliance on GPS only to reduce separation over the Atlantic but over land, traditional nav and ATC radar control will keep planes safe. It's also possible to deselect unreliable sources so they don't confuse the moving map.
 

Pye_End

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Jinkster

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To reassure non aviators, modern aircraft nav displays fix position from a variety of sources apart from GPS, ie internal IRS (inertial reference system) and ground based DME (distance measuring equipment).

There has been reliance on GPS only to reduce separation over the Atlantic but over land, traditional nav and ATC radar control will keep planes safe. It's also possible to deselect unreliable sources so they don't confuse the moving map.

As wonkywinch says along with....

Passing around the likes of Ukraine, Turkey etc the GPS signals are jammed. We are travelling at 0.85M so doesn't affect the positions to a great extent with modern systems.
 

st599

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I though GPS was just a aid to navigation?

Although i am tottaly huilty of using it alot, but where i sail, i am confident with local knowledge.

Sailed back from Sarl to Jersey just yesterday, and both units were sporadically bleeting NO SIGNAL.

This is also why i like my stand alone tiller pilot.

Just dont touch anything and check your compass every 5 mins!

Vis was under 1000 meters
It's used in so many places that a sustained spoof or jamming could easily cause serious problems. Even 15 years ago, before the gig economy exploded, various institutions were warning of the crippling effects on the economy and infrastructure as so many places derived timing from GPS, eg bank transactions, electricity supply, water supply...
 

The Q

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I was watching flight radar the other day, aircraft were flying towards the Ukraine... That's unusual.. especially as their filed flight plan says the were going somewhere else. then suddenly as they entered Ukraine airspace, they'ed suddenly change course and fly several times the speed of sound onto their correct course. Impressive for a 767.
So yes GPS is being interfered with..

Also note if there is a USA aircraft carrier group near, they publish maritime warnings of local GPS interference..
 

Refueler

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Flying back from China to Europe couple of weeks ago ... the flight route shown to passengers displays before take off - was different to the actual flight route flown when displayed during flight ...
I was surprised at both as they contained tracks through 'areas of concern' ....

I can only assume that ATC in some areas may have directed the flight changes ....
 

wonkywinch

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Flying back from China to Europe couple of weeks ago ... the flight route shown to passengers displays before take off - was different to the actual flight route flown when displayed during flight ...
I was surprised at both as they contained tracks through 'areas of concern' ....

I can only assume that ATC in some areas may have directed the flight changes ....
The pax display will show the great circle route from departure to destination and during flight only ever sees present position to destination via a straight line, ie great circle.

The FMC (flight management computer) will have been programmed with the correct route before take off but this zig zag route isn't predicted on the IFE (in flight entertainment) screens.

Whilst ATC may give planes course changes, this is usually only minor in nature, the main route already planned before flight and loaded to the FMC. This is why the Helios flight flew to it's destination (albeit remaining at cruise level) and took up the hold without any pilot input.

Helios Airways Flight 522 - Wikipedia
 

Refueler

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The pax display will show the great circle route from departure to destination and during flight only ever sees present position to destination via a straight line, ie great circle.

The FMC (flight management computer) will have been programmed with the correct route before take off but this zig zag route isn't predicted on the IFE (in flight entertainment) screens.

Whilst ATC may give planes course changes, this is usually only minor in nature, the main route already planned before flight and loaded to the FMC. This is why the Helios flight flew to it's destination (albeit remaining at cruise level) and took up the hold without any pilot input.

Helios Airways Flight 522 - Wikipedia

The PAX display before take-off was NOT Great Circle ... as a pro Navigator - I now a GC route when I see one ..

The display was a 'zigzag' route with various deviations to avoid conflict areas ... but still showing over Russian territory..... in fact passing south of Moscow ... if it had been anywhere near a GC - it would have been north of Moscow ...

The actual route displayed during flight showed us veering south over Iran and then Turkey - then turning back up to N. Europe.
 
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