Pilots and captains experience problems with GPS operation in Baltic Sea
GPS navigation has not been working properly in the Baltic Sea for over 60 days. Because of this, ships and planes have to change routes frequently. Problems related to this system are mainly faced by Swedes and Norwegians. Such an anomaly is most likely an element of a hybrid war waged by Russia.
A strong and widespread anomaly was recorded mainly in the areas of Gotland and southern Oland, reports Swedish newspapers Expressen and Dagens Nyheter. As they remind us, intentional jamming of GPS can have serious implications for civil aviation and shipping.
A Ryanair airliner flying from Luton near London to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forced to abort its landing approach Thursday due to a GPS problem, newspapers reported, citing Reuters. The plane finally landed at Warsaw airport.
See: Significant incidents in the Baltic Sea. Russians targeted NATO aircraft
“The government is closely monitoring the situation and is in close contact with Finland and the Baltic states, as well as within NATO and the EU,” Sweden’s Defense Minister Pal Jonsson said in a statement. He added that work is being done to make it more resilient to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) interference.
Baltic Sea. Media: Severe interference with GPS systems
Similar problems exist in northern Norway. On Friday, the Norwegian Communications Authority issued a statement regarding jamming and spoofing of GPS signals in the Kirkenes region on the border with Russia. Measurements by local experts showed that disturbances occur at increasingly lower altitudes.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, GPS system operations have been carried out in the Baltic Sea and northern Scandinavia. The Swedish military pointed to activities related to Russian military exercises in the Königsberg area as the source.
Lt. Col. Joakim Persikivi, a professor of military strategy at the Swedish National Defense Academy, argued at the time that the turmoil could be “a kind of test” for Russia before it could use it in gray zone or hybrid warfare.
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