The dependence of many American weapons on satellite navigation based on GPS L1 technology is currently the "Achilles heel" for the United States. This became clear only after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Points of attention
- GPS jamming at the front harms the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian army, which uses American weapons.
- Problems with GPS also pose a threat to civilian navigation, as evidenced by the interference of the Russian Federation in the operation of GPS systems of civil aircraft in Eastern Europe.
- Experts believe that the lack of GPS stability could have serious consequences in the event of a possible escalation of the conflict around Taiwan.
What is wrong with GPS L1
First of all, this is due to the fact that the war started by Russia is becoming more and more high-tech. The director of ONENAV technology startup in the field of satellite communication, Steve Poizner, shared his vision of this problem.
According to the expert, the GPS L1 technology deeply integrated into the American weapons system turned out to be vulnerable to jamming on the Ukrainian front.
That is why the Russian army manages to quickly jam the American weapons provided to the Armed Forces, tied to the use of this technology, which significantly reduces the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian army.
This intervention is not limited to the battlefield. Russia has also been accused of interfering with the GPS systems of civilian aircraft across Eastern Europe, with more than 40,000 flights experiencing navigation problems over a six-month period. GPS jamming also occurs in and around other conflict zones in the Middle East.
The problem may be of a larger nature
Many experts have repeatedly stated that they are concerned about the stability of GPS in the event of a potential escalation of the conflict over Taiwan by China.
It is important to understand that in recent years the PRC has increased its military activities around the island, and its warships have already been accused of interfering with the GPS systems of civilian aircraft in the region.
As Steve Poisner points out, GPS jamming is already being used as a weapon in today's wars.
M must be prepared to be used in the conflicts of tomorrow. The prevalence of GPS jamming is partly explained by America's dependence on outdated GPS technology, which our adversaries can easily hack, the expert emphasized.
He also reminded that GPS L1 technology was created more than 50 years ago.
