A recent incident involving the European Commission President’s aircraft has drawn attention to a growing risk in international travel: deliberate interference with satellite navigation systems. The plane, flying into Plovdiv, Bulgaria, temporarily lost its GPS signal due to electronic jamming but landed without issue. Bulgarian authorities later said the disruption was not unusual, describing such interference as a side effect of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
This case is not isolated. Aviation and maritime authorities across Europe have reported an increasing number of GPS disruptions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Analysts estimate there have been dozens of such events in recent years, affecting flights, shipping routes, and even small private aircraft. Nordic and Baltic nations, in particular, have issued repeated warnings about interference originating near Russian borders.
How GPS jamming works
Satellite navigation relies on faint signals transmitted from orbit. Devices such as aircraft systems, cars, ships, and even smartphones calculate their exact location by comparing timing signals from multiple satellites. These signals, however, are fragile.
Jamming overwhelms the receiver with stronger radio noise, making it impossible to lock onto satellites. Spoofing takes it further by transmitting fake signals that mimic satellites, tricking receivers into reporting false positions. Both techniques have long been used in military operations
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