In March, the American Airlines pilot Dan Carey encountered an unexpected alarm “Rise!” when his Boeing 777 was flying above Pakistan at an altitude of more than 9700 kilometers. The cause of this alarm was GPS spoofing, which generated false signals for the navigation systems. While in this instance the signal did not pose a real threat, GPS spoofing has been increasingly affecting commercial flights, including international flights of American airlines.
GPS systems in modern aircraft play a critical role in navigation and safety management. However, artificially created signals can lead to serious malfunctions in onboard equipment. According to SKAI Data Services and Zurich University of Applied Sciences, the number of spoofed flights has increased from several dozen in February to over 1100 in August 2024.
Instances of GPS spoofing have been reported not only in conflict zones in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, but also in other regions, causing navigation failures and adding pressure on pilots who must react swiftly to false warnings. Pilots have reported various consequences such as time discrepancies on onboard clocks, false alarms, and incorrect route directions.
The aviation industry acknowledges that while GPS spoofing has not yet posed critical security threats, the impact of such attacks is growing. The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns that the consequences of losing aircraft due to these attacks, especially in emergency situations, would be catastrophic.
Aircraft manufacturers, suppliers, and regulators are working on temporary solutions to mitigate the effects of spoofing, but enhanced navigation system protection standards are not expected until next year. Pilots are receiving detailed instructions on how to identify false signals and respond to them, sometimes including disregarding false commands from the warning systems about Earth proximity.
Most attacks are carried out using powerful electronic warfare transmitters. In some cases, pilots have had to make unnecessary maneuvers to correct their course. False time and location data have also disrupted the functioning of other onboard systems, including communication networks.
A report from the OPSGROUP organization, which consists of pilots and dispatchers, reveals that spoofing incidents can lead to significant deviations. In September 2023, a private Embraer aircraft nearly entered Iranian airspace, while an Airbus A320 lost navigation data upon departing from Cyprus. A Boeing 787 had two failed landing attempts due to GPS signal loss and subsequent equipment malfunctions.
The FAA has not disclosed any spoofing cases in the United States yet. However, in October 2022, GPS issues were observed at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, resulting in aircraft deviating from their intended course. The European Aviation Safety Agency also reported navigation failures, but no direct threats to flight safety