2023-09-30 10:59:09
Published 30. September 2023, 12:59
Mystery about GPS signals: “No idea where we were” – planes go off course
There are mysterious interferences in GPS signals over Iraqi-Iranian airspace. Crews should be prepared to fly without GPS navigation systems.
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So-called GPS spoofing has been occurring in the dotted area over Iraqi-Iranian airspace since September 25, 2023.
Ops Group
That’s what it’s about
Since Monday, numerous incidents have been reported in which aircraft’s GPS signals are being disrupted.
This is happening over Baghdad and the northern part of Iraq.
It is not known who is behind the manipulation of the GPS data.
GPS spoofing – the sending of jamming signals – over Iraqi-Iranian airspace is currently causing aircraft to go off course. Since Monday, the number of incidents reported on a flight data website called Ops Group has risen rapidly.
A total of around 20 pilots, flight planners and air traffic controllers reported that GPS navigation signals had been forged. Some of the crews were therefore unable to navigate and had to request vectors from air traffic control for orientation. It is not known who is behind the manipulation of the GPS data.
“I have no idea where we were”
The crew of an Embraer 650 aircraft en route from Europe to Dubai reported that both GPS navigation devices on board and the GPS signals for the pilot and co-pilot’s two iPads had completely failed.
«We only realized there was a problem when the autopilot started turning left and right, so it was obvious something was wrong. After a few minutes we received error messages on our flight management system,” one of the pilots tells the US portal Forbes. The situation was not without danger: the plane ended up deviating around 80 nautical miles (over 148 kilometers) off course – the plane almost entered Iranian airspace without permission.
The pilots of a Bombardier Challenger 604 en route to Doha, Qatar, report a similar incident. North of Baghdad, their GPS data was disrupted. “We lost everything that had to do with navigation,” says a crew member. The system showed them that they had drifted 70 to 90 miles off route. It switched to dead reckoning. “It had no idea where we were.”
Be prepared to fly without GPS
The US Federal Aviation Administration responded to the increase in spoofing incidents on Wednesday, writing in a notice to airlines that GPS signals could be disrupted on flights over Baghdad and northern Iraq.
The agency recommends crews “place additional emphasis on maintaining continuous communication with appropriate air traffic control authorities, closely monitoring aircraft equipment performance for discrepancies or anomalies, and being prepared to operate without GPS navigation systems.”
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