As aviation technology continues to advance, so do risks associated with emerging technologies. GPS spoofing, a method used to provide inaccurate position information to aircraft navigation systems, poses a significant threat to the safety and integrity of air travel.
- Spoofing fools the on-board navigation system into thinking it is in a false position often 100 or more miles from the actual position. The errors created affect a myriad of aircraft navigation and can send safety equipment into failures.
- Spoofing by a ground entity confuses the onboard GPS with an erroneous signal, which is interpreted as valid, leading to a confused, and potentially malfunctioning, Flight Management System. The autopilot then corrects for the false off-course position, steering the aircraft to what could be a hazardous location (off-airway, into sovereign airspace without a clearance, into terrain, or outside of approach criteria).
- GPS Spoofing may be blatant and affect other devices, or subtle and sophisticated. Some attacks may lead to changing the aircraft position slightly, but just enough to cause a navigation problem.
News Articles Highlighting the Dangers of GPS Spoofing
Forbes Magazine – GPS Spoofing in the Middle East Is Now Capturing Avionics
Aviation International News – Spoof-proofing is Send’s New Solution
GlobalAir – First GPS spoof-proof product to hit market, target growing threat
AirGuide – FAA Urges Pilots to Rely on Traditional Navigation Amid Rising GPS Spoofing Threats
McAfee – What is GPS spoofing?
Aviation Week – The Serious Threat Of GPS Spoofing: An Analysis
What Can We Do?
New Airtext+ Software available with sophisticated algorithms to determine Jamming and Spoofing events within seconds
- Advanced Anti-Spoofing Technology
- Real-time Monitoring and Alerts
- Redundant Advisory Navigation Resolution
- User-Friendly Interface (Visual Annunciators, Added Menu within Airtext App)
- Jamming Detection and Dead Reckoning Function
Independent of the onboard aircraft systems, internally preforms a “Reality Check” to provide a Dead-Reckoning Comparator of present position. Choice of a wide array of Visual Annunciators, Airtext can alert the crew of Spoofed or Jammed GPS Signals, allowing for corrective action to be taken immediately.
All the functionality of Airtext+ remains – Email, Talk, Text, WhatsApp, HD Moving Map functionality, and much more, for a fraction of the cost of a typical onboard internet connection, anywhere in the world at any altitude, in less than 10 seconds.
Airtext+ GPS Spoof Proofing functionality is available as a $3,000 add-on to the $18,500 cost of the hardware. Does not include cost of installation, which will be determined by an avionics shop.