GPS Jamming - A surprising yet grave threat to airline safety

Representative | FLYING Magazine

According to NASA’s aviation safety reporting system-a forum where aviation professionals can anonymously share near misses and safety tips, the number of reports addressing GPS signal loss or disruption for private and commercial aircraft has increased.

What is GPS and what is its significance?

The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radio navigation system owned by the US government and operated by the United States Space Force. It operates independently of any telephonic or Internet reception and provides geolocation and time information to a GPS receiver anywhere on or near the Earth where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites.

Representative | Imperative MOOCS

The GPS is basically a civilian version of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)-first devised by the U.S. military in the 1960s. Most airplanes now carry Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transponders, which use GPS to calculate and broadcast their altitude, heading, and speed. Private pilots use digital charts on tablet computers, while GPS data underpins autopilot and flight-management computers.

Murfreesboro Aviation

The GPS service is controlled by the United States government, which can selectively deny access to the system or degrade the service at any time.

Hence, several countries are in the race of setting up their own dedicated global or regional satellite navigation systems:

The Russian Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) was developed contemporaneously with GPS, although it suffered from incomplete coverage of the globe until the mid-2000s.China's Beidou satellite navigation system began global services in 2018 and finished its full deployment in 2020The European Union has its own Galileo Satellite Navigation SystemThe Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), developed by India, with the operational name - "NavIC "

Mrunal

The Japanese have developed the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS)-a GPS satellite-based augmentation system to enhance GPS's accuracy in Asia-Oceania, with satellite navigation independent of GPS and scheduled for 2023.

Can GPS be jammed?

Yes, and quite easily so. How?

Apparently, it is a relatively uncomplicated process that involves the production of an RF signal strong enough to drown out the transmissions from GPS satellites. The subject of a GPS jamming attack will be instantly aware that something is wrong, as the system will be unable to produce a geolocation result. 

Representative | The National Interest

The vast majority of incidents involving GPS-based navigation systems either experience a total loss of signal or, more alarmingly — incorrect aircraft position reporting.

Representative | Aviation Week

Reportedly, undisclosed Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data for a few months in 2017 and 2018 point to hundreds of aircraft losing GPS reception in the vicinity of military tests. Air Traffic Control (ATC), search and rescue operations, the electric grid and mobile phone services are all vulnerable to GPS jamming fallout.

GPS Spoofing

Yet another, a more insidious form of attack - involves a deliberate mimicking of the form of transmissions from GPS satellites, tricking the receiver into believing that it has been sent information as expected.

Representative | Norton

To give a perspective, it involves location information being sent to the GPS receiver which is clearly false and may/may not be immediately clear to the user that they are being spoofed, but, it nonetheless stops them from using their GPS for its intended purpose. In other words, it is a more targeted form of jamming.

Jamming incidents

There have been over 90 ASRS (Aviation Safety Report System) reports detailing GPS interference in the United States, most of which were filed in 2019 and 2020.

Representative | Source

Loss of life can happen because air traffic control and a flight crew believe their equipment are working as intended, but are in fact leading them into the side of the mountain. Had we not noticed, that flight crew and the passengers would be dead. I have no doubt.said an air traffic controller referring to an aircraft incident in Idaho (August 2018) flying in smoky conditions and which apparently suffered GPS interference from military tests

Reportedly, the military is known to jam GPS signals to develop its defence (s) against GPS jamming.

Planned electronic-attack (EA) testing occasionally causes interference to GPS based flight operations, and impacts the efficiency and economy of some aviation operationsSaid a 2013 military report

Why would the military interfere with such a safety-critical system?

Russia jammed phones and GPS in Northern Europe during massive military drills | Representative | The Drive

The GPS is exceedingly vulnerable to attack. these signals are diminished before they hit the ground. And quite surprisingly, building an electronic warfare system to disrupt these weak signals is apparently easy.

Detune the oscillator in a microwave oven and you've got a super powerful jammer that works over many kilometerssays Todd E Humprheys-director of the Radio navigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin

In most of the cases reported, the loss of GPS was deemed an emergency. Pilots have veered off-course, accidentally entered military airspace, have been unable to manoeuvre, and lost their ability to navigate when close to other aircraft. Many pilots required the assistance of air traffic control to continue their flights.

Representative | Flight Global

Jamming incidents have never been specific to the US alone.

On October 16, there was a report from Flight Service Bureau Bulletin, warning of serious GPS interference at France’s Marseille-Provence airport.

In May 2016, Egyptian civil aviation authorities sent an internal alert warning pilot about malicious attempts at GPS signal jamming near Cairo airport. 

Very recently, the French Civil Aviation Authority (DGAC) raised the alarm about the Russian military jamming satellite navigation systems around Ukraine. Additionally, the EASA has identified four areas where the GNSS jamming intensified since February 24, 2022-the Kaliningrad region and the Baltic Sea, the eastern part of Finland, the Black Sea, and the Eastern Mediterranean area.

Representative | Geospatial News

The loss of GNSS data could also affect aircraft terrain avoidance and wind shear alerting systems.

All being said, the aviation industry is cognizant of the vulnerabilities of GPS, and actions are being taken to address them proactively.

The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization (ATO), for example, notes on its website that the agency is actively working with the U.S. Department of Defense to mitigate vulnerabilities and to make sure augmentation systems can detect and mitigate concerns.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: IEEE Spectrum

According to a regulatory change proposed by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), airliners are now allowed to carry a reduced amount of fuel required for diversions and delays, onboard.

Standard operating procedures require that airlines carry sufficient fuel on board to compensate for unforeseen circumstances such as possible diversions and delays caused due to holding pattern(s) and/or delays on approach to the destination airport or even the impossibility to land due to weather considerations or another issue.

Representative | Flight Deck Friend

Carrying extra fuel adds to the overall weight of an aircraft, which in turn translates to increased fuel consumption and total emissions from the flight. Any reduction in the carriage of this extra fuel would slash considerable CO2 emissions of the overall flight, thereby reducing the carbon footprint on the environment.

Touted to slash CO2 emissions by up to 3 million tons annually, which, approximately represents  1% of total European flight emissions.

Representative | PBS

According to EASA, the data on the amount of additional fuel required can be optimised, while continuing to ensure high safety levels. This can be achieved by improved risk assessments and calculations based on better data and better decision making.

The regulatory package, which consists of Regulation (EU) 2021/1296 and ED Decision 2022/005/R providing the AMC and GM, is aligned with guidance from ICAO. Additionally, these regulations will also be applicable for aircraft powered fully or partially by alternative energy sources, such as electric aircraft.

This regulatory package is part of the overall efforts of EASA to reduce the impact of aviation on the environment. There is no reason to lift up more fuel reserve into the sky than necessary – lifting fuel burns more fuel. Most importantly, this can be done without compromising safety – the reduction is possible thanks to better assessment methods and better data which allow airlines to carry out a more precise risk assessment.Jesper Rasmussen, EASA Flight Standards Director

Source

The new rules bring in three different fuel schemes: basic fuel scheme, fuel scheme with variations and individual fuel scheme. The transition from the current rules to the basic fuel scheme requires little additional effort from the perspective of an air operator-said EASA. It further mentioned that the other two schemes are voluntary and will take more resources to implement as those require enhanced monitoring capabilities from the airlines. Furthermore, national authorities will also have to adjust their oversight to ensure that safety levels are not compromised.

Representative | Dauntless Jaunter

Apparently, the savings are touted to benefit long-haul flights to a greater extent. These are the flights that produce most of the CO2 emissions. According to Eurocontrol data, long-haul flights represent 6.2% of the flights but create 51.9% of the CO2 emissions.

The aforementioned regulations are expected to go on the floor by October 30, 2022.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: FlightGlobal

Ferrari in the skies? Yep, you heard that right!

VistaJet, the Middle-East based private aviation company, has recently welcomed a brand new "Global 7500", by Bombardier, to its fleet. This brings the company's overall fleet strength to 90, more than half of which are registered in the US.

VistaJet

Dubbed as the "Ferrari of the skies" by VistaJet, here's what makes it tick.

Global 7500 Bombardier

The Global 7500 aircraft stands alone as the world’s largest and longest-range business jet.

VistaJet

Range

An industry-leading 7,700 nautical mile range connects some of the world’s most expansive city pairings-including routes such as New York to Hong Kong and Singapore to San Francisco- made possible due to the G7500s debut and perhaps the first of its kind in private aviation.

Speed

Powered by specifically designed GE Passport engines, this "Ferrari" can clock speeds up to Mach 0.925 with dependable reliability and improved fuel efficiency.

With VistaJet, passengers can travel long-haul on the Global 7500 to 187 countries worldwide, unlocking access to 96 percent of the world and some of the most hard-to-reach areas in a single flight. It flies at a higher altitude (up to 51,000 feet) than commercial jets, where the air is thinner, thus allowing the aircraft to fly faster while burning less fuel Éric Martel, Bombardier's president and CEO told Travel + Leisure

Cabin Interiors

Touted to be the industry’s only business jet with four living spaces and a dedicated Crew Suite and kitchen while guests also have the option of personalizing interiors. The G7500 also features "Soleil"-aviation's first circadian rhythm-based lighting.

VistaJet

VisaJet

VistaJet

Avionics

Head-Up Display (HUD), Enhanced Vision System (EVS) and Synthetic Vision System (SVS)Graphical flight planningMultiScan weather radar including wind shear detectionBombardier Vision flight deck with four large displaysAdvanced fly-by-wire technology with side stick controllers

Specifications

RANGE7,700 nmCAPACITYUp to 19 passengersAIRFIELD PERFORMANCE (Take-off distance / Landing distance)5,760 ft / 2,237 ftOPERATING ALTITUDE (Max)51,000 ftENGINES (GE Passport Thrust)18,920 lbf (84.16kN)LENGTH111 ftWINGSPAN104 ftHEIGHT27 ftG7500 | Bombardier

GE Passport engines

Designed specifically for the Global 7500 business jet, GE’s Passport is engineered for ultra-long-range missions and minimal cabin noise for increased comfort. Delivering over 18,000-pounds of thrust, with increased efficiency, lower emissions and reduced maintenance costs, the "Ferrari" and its engine make for a record-breaking combination.

Source

VistaJet offers custom-tailored flight subscription plans with access to its entire fleet at a fixed hourly rate as well as preferential rates on empty-leg flights.

Thomas Flohr | Founder and CEO of VistaJet | The New York Times

VistaJet continues to expand its fleet globally, and now manages 10% of all the world’s Global 7500 aircraft.

Did you know? VistaJet partners with the Scuderia Ferrari team for the fourth year running.

As an Official Partner, VistaJet is flying the team between races throughout the 2022 Formula 1 season. With often only days between Grands Prix, VistaJet will be flying across five continents to support Scuderia Ferrari in this truly global competition.

VistaJet

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Aviation Week

In what can be termed a historic achievement for the country, India will soon be joining the likes of the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Russia, to enter an elite group of countries boasting of fifth-generation stealth fighter jets with high-tech drones to accompany them.

The Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) ‘Warrior’

The CATS Warrior program is a collaboration between the state-owned HAL and an Indian private startup Newspace R&D. The project commenced in 2018 and was announced at Aero India 2021 as the Combat Air Teaming System (CATS) ‘Warrior.’

Defense Direct Education

A low-cost, pilotless aircraft with sufficient flight capability and intelligence to help manned and advanced fighter jets in combat is known as a loyal wingman.  The CATS Warrior bears an uncanny resemblance to the Kratos Valkyrie and Boeing’s Air Power Teaming System (ATS).

Kratos Valkyrie | Representative | Wikipedia

Primarily envisioned for the Indian Air Force, the CATS warrior will be an autonomous wingman drone and will team up with the existing fighter platforms of the IAF like Tejas, Su-MKI 30 and Jaguar, all of which will act like its mothership. These drones would be carrying mission-specific payloads, such as sensors, armament, or electronic warfare capabilities, and would be capable of flying ahead of their crewed counterpart.

Warrior will serve as a 'sensor amplifier' for the LCA, flying out ahead of the manned aircraft and using its sensors to feed information back to LCAHAL test pilot Retd Group Captain H.V. Thakur

Additionally, these "unmanned aircraft" can be deployed as low-cost decoys to help detect and overwhelm enemy air defences, and deflect fire from crewed fighter crafts as well. Owing to its "unmanned" nature, it can be sacrificed in case it cannot be flown back within its combat radius of 350 km. Furthermore, these drones could intercept targets on the ground and in the air.

A striking difference between CATS and its rival western programs is the emphasis on AI control. Although HAL has pitched for the drones to be capable of autonomous take-off and landing, the existence of dedicated two-seater control aircraft subtly hints that the "Warrior" might be, in some capacity, piloted.

Tech and specs (Warrior drone)

Powered by a modified HAL PTAE-7 or HAL-HTFE-25 turbofan engine, it features an internal weapon bay & hybrid design whose front section looks like a Boeing ATS wingman & from its mid-fuselage to its tail like the Kratos X2-58 Valkyrie.

Wikipedia

Length9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)Wingspan5.8 m (19 ft 0 in)MTOW2,100 kg (4,630 lb)Maximum speedMach 0.9Cruise speed790 km/h (490 mph, 430 km)Range1,500 kmCombat range700 kmMissilesAir to air missilesPrecision guided munitionsASRAAMWikipedia

It will be equipped with an electro-optic/infrared payload, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, inertial navigational unit, and a jammer for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and combat operations.

Representative | Janes

Furthermore, the exhaust will feature a chevron nozzle design to reduce jet blast & radar emissions.

Chevron Nozzle | Representative | strategicfront.org

Reportedly, the Warrior is undergoing wind-tunnel testing and flight testing is expected in 2024. The engine is expected to be certified by 2025.

"Loyal Wingman" developments around the world

On April 29 2021, the US Air Force carried out the first flight test of a "Skyborg" drone with a Kratos UTAP-22 Mako equipped with a bespoke autonomy system, moving the service one step closer to fielding an uncrewed “loyal wingman” for human pilots.

First Test Flight Of Skyborg's "Computer Brain" Flown On UTAP-22 Loyal Wingman Drone | The Drive

In September 2019, Russia announced the successful completion of a Su-57 fifth-generation combat aircraft and an S-70 Okhotnik unmanned aerial vehicle, test flight.

Sukhoi Su-57 | Wikipedia

China unveiled the long-range ‘FH-97 drone’, last year- touted to carry a variety of weaponry with the swarm and electronic warfare capabilities.

The Drive

Australia, in collaboration with Boeing, completed successful test flights of its loyal wingman aircraft, dubbed "MQ-28A Ghost Bat”, in March 2021.

Boeing "MQ-28A Ghost Bat" | Aviacion Online

SOURCE(s)

COVER: INFOTONLINE

Vistara, India’s full-service airline, has announced its collaboration with Aerospace Software Development (ASD) to deploy RFIDAeroCheck technology as part of its commitment to maintaining the highest safety standard, on Monday.

travelobiz

RFIDAeroCheck technology

RFIDAeroCheck is a complete solution for airlines that allows for the tracking and management of all rotatable and other life-limited components onboard the entire airline fleet. This is done by storing information related to tracked components within a server-wide application database including information on defined equipment types, aircraft locations and configurations as well as information on various parts. RFID, the acronym for radio frequency identification, relies on tags and readers for quick identification of objects.

Representative | IFS Blog

Featuring the latest ATA Spec2000 and GS1 standards, RFIDAeroCheck is fully compliant with industry standards and integrates both server-side and handheld technology to maximise the efficiencies gained from RFID technology.

Representative | Aerospace Software Developments

Fully configurable data output reports can be scheduled or provided upon demand highlighting components that are due to expire within a given period.

Each component to be tracked is tagged with an RFID tag that uniquely identifies the component as per the GS1 / EPC Tag Data Standard. The information on the tag, in conjunction with data downloaded from the server, allows the handheld application to identify when components are due to expire and when component changes are required. A simple user interface allows users to complete component changes and upload the updated information back to the server.

Representative | Aerospace Software Developments

Advantages

Data is stored centrally making it available to Planning, Operations & Purchasing. As information is now available across the airline, aircraft checks can be scheduled based on known material requirementsComponent requirements can be shared directly with suppliers allowing for a better deployment of resources within the airline, thereby ensuring greater supplier participation in the management of life-limited componentsThe handheld application allows for wireless or cradled connectivity to the server for the upload and download of data.The use of 1D barcode, 2D barcode and RFID tag scanning is supported to allow for the recording of data accurately and in the minimum amount of time.Provides immense labour savings for all parties involved. Aircraft manufacturers, OEMs, airlines and MROs can all now benefit from the advantages of RFID.

Ensuring the safety of our customers and employees is the topmost priority at Vistara and we are committed to investing in technologies that aid our growth plans and enhance our safety framework. We are pleased to partner with Aerospace Software Development (ASD) for the deployment of RFIDAeroCheck which provides a quick and accurate integration of our maintenance processes, giving us the required commercial and operational flexibility across our fleetSK Dash, Senior Vice President – Engineering, Vistara

Reportedly, aircraft scans can now be accomplished in lesser time, for instance- an RFID maintenance scan on a Boeing 787 aircraft (with 288 life vests on board) can be completed in less than a minute by simply walking down the aisle.

Furthermore, O2 Generator presence and expiry check(s) can now be done in 30 seconds which would otherwise take  4 man-hours on average.

We are delighted that Vistara selected ASD as their RFID partner and we are very proud to have Vistara as our first airline customer in India. Working in partnership with Vistara, we have implemented the RFIDAeroCheck solution on time and on budget. The successful implementation of RFIDAeroCheck at Vistara will lead to tracking of all emergency equipment on aircraft in a fraction of the time currently required and with significant financial savings.Dave Browne, Managing Director, Aerospace Software Development

Aerospace Software Developments (ASD) is an Irish company specialising in the development and implementation of mission-critical applications based on the latest RFID technology which is specifically designed for the Aerospace and Aviation market sectors.

SOURCE(s)

COVER: Vistara

Airlines must ensure that 50% of cockpit and cabin crew members are subjected to pre-flight alcohol tests daily, aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday, March 29.

Before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, all crew members were required to undergo pre-flight alcohol tests. When the pandemic began, these tests were suspended for a couple of months. Later, the tests were resumed but for only a small percentage of crew members.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday, March 29 issued a notice mentioning that 50% of crew members will undergo these tests "because of reducing trend of COVID-19 cases and increase in the volume of air traffic as a result of the resumption of normal operation".

DGCA orders pre-flight alcohol tests for 50% of pilots and cabin crew daily

"In case of flying training institutes, 50% of instructors and 40% of student pilots shall be subjected to pre-flight breath-analyser on daily basis," the notice issued by the DGCA said.

Operators or owners of charter planes must ensure that 50% of their crew members undergo these tests. Every aviation employee who is reporting for duty is required to submit an undertaking that he or she is not under the influence of alcohol and that he or she has not consumed alcohol in the last 12 hours from the time of reporting for duty, the DGCA said.

"The cockpit crew, cabin crew shall submit the undertaking in the presence of medical staff and the same shall be captured on camera," it mentioned. The DGCA said the notice issued will remain in force for three months only.

Every aviation employee who is reporting for duty is required to submit an undertaking that he or she is not under the influence of alcohol.

India resumed full scheduled international flights on March 27 this year. The country resumed full scheduled domestic flights on October 18, 2021.

DGCA said that aviation personnel covered under CAR Section-5, Series-F, Part-Ill, who are reporting for duty, are required to submit an undertaking that they are not under the influence of alcohol and that they have not consumed alcohol in the last 12 hours from the time of reporting for the duty.

The undertaking must also contain a warning that in case of violation of the undertaking, strict enforcement action including off rostering and suspension by applicable rules will be taken by DGCA against the individual, the regulator said.