When the Iraq War broke out in 2003, the Iraqi army used a Russian-made GPS signal jamming system to destroy the US military’s guided weapons system, creating a sensation. South Korean military officials are doing their best to develop countermeasures, fearing that the equipment could cause similar damage to the South and its allies in the event of a war.
GPS jammer is so sensitive that they also cause accidental interference. In one case, a VHF / UHF TV antenna preamplifier in Monterey Bay, California generated three or more interference signals. The signal strength of the preamp is sufficient to push the GPS completely into a radius of 1km above sea level. The authors of the report speculate that similar sources could interfere with aerial GPS receivers within 50 km if transmitted using omnidirectional antennas.
Long-range air-to-ground cruise missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, are also GPS-guided. The advantage of GPS-based weapon systems is that they can accurately attack targets despite bad weather and complex terrain. Their drawback is that even weak signals can easily get stuck.
Seoul told North Korea in a letter issued Monday that since March 31, North Korea has blocked GPS signals in South Korea, threatening the safety of civilian aircraft and ships, and violating international agreements. Told.
South Korea’s UN ambassador, Oh Jun, said electronic mobile phone signal interference signals from five regions of North Korea (Heju, Yang An, Pyongyang, Jin Jiang, and Kaesong) “dangerously affect GPS.”
The South Korean government reported that North Korea had imported about 20 communications and radar jammers from the former Soviet Union. The in-vehicle device was reportedly deployed near the border and interfered with GPS signals within a range of 50 to 100 kilometers.
A few years ago, when satellites were advertised as the only navigation method in the aviation industry from takeoff to landing, former FAA administrator Langhorne Bond painted a dark winter night on the east coast. The weather is below the limit. In that case, terrorist GPS interference could be a “weapon of mass destruction,” he said. The FAA considers this an unfounded guess. However, in a recent report on GPS-dependent ADS-B, DOT inspectors took the issue more seriously and called on the FAA to “work with US intelligence to assess this potential threat.” I did.
