Reports indicate a significant surge in incidents of jamming and spoofing affecting aircraft navigation systems across Europe, particularly in the Baltic Sea region. According to data from the German Air Navigation Services (DFS), flight crews reported 447 instances of navigational disturbances between January and August. This represents a dramatic increase compared to just 25 reported incidents two years prior, suggesting a potential rise of over 2,500% when extrapolated to a full year.
The German Federal Ministry of Transport confirms a marked increase in GPS signal interference, concentrated over the Baltic Sea and airspace above the Baltic countries. These disturbances are occurring through both signal jamming – where ground-based transmitters overpower satellite signals – and spoofing, a more insidious form of interference that transmits false navigational data, potentially deceiving flight crews regarding their actual position.
The German Aviation Association (BDL) has voiced serious concerns, characterizing the incidents as “a threat to the safe operation of civil aircraft”. Citing recent events such as those experienced in Denmark, the BDL emphasizes the potential for significant disruption of critical infrastructure with relatively limited resources. The association calls for enhanced protection measures for civil aviation, advocating for a cross-departmental situation center facilitating continuous information exchange between security agencies, intelligence services and industry stakeholders.