Image: GPSJam.org

What’s New: The middle east, long a hot spot for jamming, has seen a significant increase since the end of May.

Why It’s Important: 

  • It is a symptom of the changing nature of conflict. More drones and other electronic systems are being used, and more jamming is being used to counter them.
  • It likely also indicates the increased production and availability of military grade jamming equipment.
  • Jamming and other GPS/GNSS interference spills over into non-combatant areas and applications

What Else to Know: 

  • The current increase in jamming was reported as early as April this year.
  • Some nations in the region (ex; Turkiye, Iran, & Saudi Arabia), have national terrestrial navigation systems for when signals from space are not available.
  • Eurocontrol has been concerned about jamming impacts on air traffic for years. See for example our post from 2020. For more just search our site for “Eurocontrol.”
  • DLR, the German Aerospace Center, seems to have been investigating the current jamming near Cyprus. See post on X here.