Newsroom
- Defense
- Maritime
Navigating in GNSS-denied environments
Ensuring mission resilience against jamming and spoofing
GNSS: a vital but vulnerable infrastructure
The fundamental role of GNSS
Satellite positioning is the invisible pillar of our modern world. Our absolute dependence on these signals spans from transportation to finance while their vulnerability to new jamming threats has become a major sovereignty issue.
GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is the umbrella term for satellite constellations including the American GPS, the European Galileo, the Chinese BeiDou, and the Russian GLONASS.
These invisible infrastructures provide ultra-precise positioning and timing synchronization across the globe. Today everything relies on these signals as they guide our ships and aircraft while synchronizing our global telecommunications networks.
Signal vulnerability
Satellite signals travel over 20,000 km. By the time they reach Earth their power is infinitesimal—comparable to the glow of a 100W light bulb observed from 500 km away. This weakness makes them extremely easy to disrupt.
Jamming VS spoofing: understanding the threat
Jamming: brutal blinding
Jamming is a "brute force" attack. A malicious transmitter saturates GNSS frequencies with intense radio noise.
- The effect: The vehicle's GNSS receiver is "dazzled" and loses all contact with the satellites.
- Consequence: The vehicle is suddenly deprived of navigation which can paralyze operations relying on continuous geolocation such as dynamic positioning for offshore vessels or rescue and transport operations in critical areas.
Spoofing: the invisible manipulation
Spoofing is a more sophisticated and vicious attack. The attacker broadcasts a fake satellite signal that the receiver believes to be legitimate and stronger than the real one to deceive the receiver.
- The effect: the hacked equipment then provides a completely false position or trajectory.
- Consequence: this is the most dangerous threat: the vehicle can deviate from its course without any alert being sent to the crew, which can lead to collisions or diplomatic incidents such as border violations.
Why GNSS loss is critical?
High stakes across all domains
Precise navigation is the starting point for every action in the field. Losing your geographical reference means losing control over coordination and operational safety.
Maritime security
GNSS ensures ship trajectories and platform stability. A corrupted signal in high-traffic zones or during offshore drilling can paralyze global trade or cause environmental disasters.
Naval superiority
The ability to operate without GNSS distinguishes a modern navy from a vulnerable force. Resilience against electronic warfare (EW) guarantees tactical advantage and mission safety.
Land defense
GNSS loss hinders unit coordination and fire precision. This vulnerability slows down operations and drastically increases the risk of errors in the field.
Conflict zones: when jamming becomes a geopolitical weapon
Jamming incidents are increasing in international tension zones. This risk is no longer theoretical: the GNSS signal has become a tool for geopolitical pressure capable of creating "black-out" zones to hinder the free movement of ships and aircraft.
The GPSjam website which maps global interference daily shows the scale of the phenomenon: vast maritime and aerial regions are regularly deprived of a reliable signal. A simple position error can then transform a routine mission into a diplomatic incident or a security disaster.
The reference website GPSjam.org daily lists reported failures from aircraft across the globe. By consulting their maps one can observe persistent red zones in the Baltic Sea the Eastern Mediterranean or the Middle East where the signal is massively disrupted.
Moving beyond GNSS:
autonomous navigation by Exail
Fiber Optic Gyroscopes: the heart of resilience
To offset the corruption of satellite signals Exail offers a proven alternative: inertial navigation. This technology relies on the FOG or Fiber Optic Gyroscopes. These sensors calculate the exact position by measuring the carrier's movements (rotations and accelerations) using the speed of light.
How does FOG guarantee autonomous navigation?
Total insensitivity
The system is passive as it does not depend on any external wave. It is by nature impossible to spoof.
Extreme reliability
With no moving mechanical parts these sensors are insensitive to shocks and guarantee exceptional longevity.
Long-term resilience
Exail’s navigation solutions maintain a precise trajectory for several days in total autonomy, even in the heart of intense jamming zones.
Combat-proven technology
With a legacy of over 30 years of innovation in FOG technology Exail stands today as the world leader in navigation for contested environments. These systems guarantee operational safety and mission continuity across all theaters of engagement equipping more than 70 navies and armies worldwide as well as global leaders in energy and transport.
By mastering the entire sensor value chain Exail offers technological sovereignty and total freedom of movement allowing for navigation with absolute precision everywhere and at all times without any dependence on the sky.
FAQ
Jamming is intentional radio interference aimed at saturating satellite signal frequencies such as GPS and Galileo. By emitting noise stronger than the legitimate signal the attacker makes the GNSS receiver incapable of calculating a position causing an immediate loss of navigation.
While jamming blocks the signal entirely (blinding) spoofing or decoying is a cyberattack that simulates fake satellite signals. The receiver then displays an erroneous position without detecting the anomaly which can deviate a vehicle from its actual trajectory without the crew's knowledge.
The vulnerability of GPS comes from the distance traveled by the signal (20,000 km). Upon its arrival on the ground its power is tiny. A simple low-power transmitter located nearby is enough to drown out the satellite signal making critical infrastructures highly dependent on backup solutions.
Detection relies on comparing satellite data with independent sources. An inertial navigation system measures the vehicle's actual movement; any unjustified discrepancy between this physical measurement and the position "calculated" by the satellites allows for an immediate alert of a manipulation attempt.
