GPS Jamming
Also known as: GNSS jamming · Satellite navigation jamming
GPS jamming is interference that overwhelms or blocks the weak signals from satellite navigation systems, causing receivers on an aircraft to lose their position fix. It denies positioning rather than falsifying it, and is a recognized and growing threat to flight operations near conflict and contested regions.
Reviewed by AeroVigil GNSS Monitoring Desk · 2026-05-31
Satellite navigation signals (collectively GNSS, of which GPS is one constellation) arrive at the aircraft extremely weak, which makes them easy to drown out with a stronger radio signal on the same frequency. A jammer does not feed the receiver false data; it simply prevents the receiver from computing a position, so the symptom is loss or degradation of GNSS-based navigation and timing.
Reports of GNSS interference have risen sharply along the edges of conflict and militarized regions, where jamming is often a byproduct of electronic-warfare activity. Flights can experience navigation warnings, degraded approach capability and increased crew workload, which is why authorities issue NOTAMs and advisories about areas of known or suspected interference.
Jamming is distinct from spoofing, which feeds false but plausible signals. AeroVigil treats reported jamming and spoofing as airspace-risk signals, associating interference advisories with the regions and routes they affect so teams can anticipate degraded navigation before dispatch.
Frequently asked
- What is the difference between GPS jamming and GPS spoofing?
- Jamming blocks satellite signals so the receiver loses its position fix, denying navigation. Spoofing transmits counterfeit signals so the receiver computes a false but plausible position, deceiving it.
- Where is GPS jamming most common in aviation?
- GNSS interference is most frequently reported near conflict zones and militarized regions, where it is often associated with electronic-warfare activity, and is communicated to crews through NOTAMs and advisories.
Related terms
Sources
- EASA Safety Information Bulletin 2022-02 — GNSS Outage and Alterations
- ICAO Annex 10 — Aeronautical Telecommunications