GPS interference over Poland. We ask the expert what the Russians are planning this time. “We are entering an era of long-term war”

Over the weekend, GPS signal interference began again over Poland. Maps from the GPSjam.org website show that on Monday, March 4, the problems covered approximately 2/3 of the country – from Gdańsk to Częstochowa. In the south, disruptions were within the norm, but the situation was worse in the north-east of Poland. Disruptions were also reported in other countries, e.g. Estonia and Sweden.

Russians are jamming GPS again. They mainly target planes

Michał Jarski from Forcepoint said in an interview with Gazeta.pl that signal analyzes indicate that the source of the interference is in the Russian Königsberg Oblast. Satellite photos confirm that there is infrastructure there that could be used for this purpose.

Analyzes show that the disruptions are directed at aircraft. It is much less felt on the ground. It would be more difficult for a jammer to control a signal aimed downstream, and precision is a concern

– explains Michał Jarski and adds that the range of such jamming equipment is 100-150 km.

– The range of this type of activity cannot be large, and the beam used for disruption is highly focused. Therefore, it is impossible to disturb the GPS signal over a large area at the same time. No one can maintain such broadband systems because they consume a lot of energy and would hit the aggressor’s own systems – explains the expert. As he points out, “the disruptions we see on the map up to Częstochowa are the result of wave reflection in the environment, but not an intentional disruption of the area of ​​2/3 of Poland.”

– The jamming beams cannot be turned on constantly, but the waves they emit in individual sectors can be felt further and longer. For this reason, even short but serial attacks cause constant disruption from the point of view of the signal recipient. Positioning signals are no longer reliable because interference may occur at any time. This action is directed against airplanes, they simply affect us on the ground – explains the expert.

– For most of us, however, the disruptions should not be noticeable. Maps in phones use not only satellite navigation, such as GPS, but also triangulation in relation to terrestrial transmitters. When using a map on the phone, we are not so exposed to the effects of interference also because the maps place us on a specific road and intended route, which generally neutralizes the effects of such interference. This possibility is not available to planes, which can be at any point in the airspace, there are no such obvious reference points there. However, it may happen that when we are in Częstochowa, the navigation on our smartphone will show us that we are in Lublin, but this is quite an obvious mistake and we will probably catch it right away – explains Michał Jarski.

GPS interference has returned over Poland. What does this mean for pilots and air travelers?

Air travelers are also unlikely to feel the effects of disruptions because pilots have alternative navigation methods. – If the GPS signal on board an aircraft is disrupted, pilots must switch to more traditional navigation methods. This is a bit more difficult, it takes longer, but it does not exclude the possibility of navigation. Such disruptions can also be caused by a solar storm, so pilots are prepared for such an eventuality – tells us the director of Forcepoint for Eastern Europe. He adds that in good weather it is difficult to expect any problems.

These could occur if the GPS signal was disrupted while the military was creating an air bridge. The Russians may be just preparing for such a situation, because currently the disruptions they have caused have no serious consequences. So one possibility is that they have simply been testing GPS jamming technology over the past few months. Especially since such activities also affect other satellite navigations, such as European Galileo or Russian GLONASS. The nature of radio waves also means that all kinds of jammers can hit the aggressor’s own systems and go beyond satellite communications. That’s why there were problems with mobile communication in Tricity during the weekend. For consolation, symmetrically similar problems must have affected the inhabitants of Königsberg and the military units stationed there.

Why are the Russians jamming the GPS signal now? “The Great Mystery”

Michał Jarski emphasizes that although we will not feel any major effects of such disruptions for now, it is obviously a problem because no one has so far decided to disrupt the functioning of technology on such a scale that satisfies our basis for feeling safe. – (When – ed.) we enter the era of long-term war, technology becomes something that either side can use. This is an element of electronic warfare and can simply be used – adds the expert.

I think it is also a desire to arouse anxiety, fear, panic, that we are having some kind of modern attack here. And this is nothing new, these are not space technologies that only one side has. It’s just that one of them has greater moral resistance to using them

– says Michał Jarski. He adds: – The Russians can only fly through a narrow corridor to Königsberg, they have to maneuver hard to fit in. When their planes are not flying, they are probably jamming the GPS signals of other aircraft, simply to make it less easy for them. Especially since NATO planes operate intensively in the Baltic Sea basin.

In his opinion, the Russians are simply experimenting with GPS jamming technology and checking the threshold beyond which they will start to have some effects. It is also possible that these are disruptions directed at drones that cannot cope without GPS. In this way, Russia can check whether it is able to protect itself against spy drones in Königsberg.

The question remains: why is Russia doing this only now, two years after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine? – This is a great mystery, because everyone expected that the war would start with an electronic arsenal. It will suddenly be dark, there will be no communication, everything will be paralyzed and defenders will be doomed to rely on instinct instead of using electronic communication. But this didn’t happen and that’s the mystery, notes the expert. – Maybe Russia only created a myth of its technological capabilities, and in fact it did not have them? Maybe it’s a matter of upcoming elections and showing citizens how committed you are? – wonders Michał Jarski from Forcepoint.