However, integrity and resiliency are growing needs in commercial applications, especially ones that are in critical operations. Much more can be done to detect cellphone jammer and spoofing than what is in standards GNSS receivers today.
The GPS signal jammer works by sending out its own signal on the same frequency as the GPS unit, a noisy signal that prevents it from receiving or transmitting any useful information, either in bursts of sound or a continuous wave.
GPS jammer can be bought on the internet and range in size from that of a small cigarette lighter to a suitcase, with a range of a couple of metres to a couple of hundred. You can buy combination jammers that also block mobile phones, all for a few hundred dollars. Customers for these devices are drivers seeking to shut off their employer’s GPS tracker from their vehicle, car thieves and other criminals.
Virtually all defense and security applications of GPS/GNSS require additional technology to protect assets and missions against signal interference, whether signal jammer or spoofing. The upcoming free webinar, Resilient PNT for Military Applications, gives a primer on several of these technology options. Mitigation in this context means that after isolating the unwanted signal, quickly rejecting and replacing it, causing minimal system degradation. In essence, this involves the use of augmentation technologies and diversification strategies to supplement GPS/GNSS, thus reducing the dependence on it.
V-22 Ospreys, submarine-detecting helicopters, laser weapons and electronic jamming are all deemed indispensable to the Navy’s now unfolding future vision of carrier-based air power, senior service leaders said. Several years ago, the Navy announced that the V-22 Osprey will be taking on the Carrier On-Board Delivery mission wherein it will carry forces and equipment on and off carriers while at sea.