How vulnerable is GPS technology?

[Developereo]

In any conflict I imagine the GPS satellites would be the first target, if possible.

I know Pakistan doesn't have this targetting capability, but the big guys probably do.

This would render the enemy's GPS-reliant weapons virtually blind, unless (until) they switch to a backup friendly country's GPS systems.

 

[applesauce]

well in the case of the usa you cant really take out all their satellites there too many in many cases the military uses civilian satellites anyways the only way to surely take em out is a nuclear burst but that just kill all satellites in the vicinity with can piss off other countries quite effectively

 

[Developereo]

well in the case of the usa you cant really take out all their satellites there too many in many cases the military uses civilian satellites anyways the only way to surely take em out is a nuclear burst but that just kill all satellites in the vicinity with can piss off other countries quite effectively

Yeah, it's probably not feasible to knock out the satellites.
My second thought was to jam the GPS. Here's what wikipedia says:

Man-made EMI (electromagnetic interference) can also disrupt, or jam, GPS signals. In one well documented case, the entire harbor of Moss Landing, California was unable to receive GPS signals due to unintentional jamming caused by malfunctioning TV antenna preamplifiers.[69][70] Intentional jamming is also possible. Generally, stronger signals can interfere with GPS receivers when they are within radio range, or line of sight. In 2002, a detailed description of how to build a short range GPS L1 C/A jammer was published in the online magazine Phrack.[71]

The U.S. government believes that such jammers were used occasionally during the 2001 war in Afghanistan and the U.S. military claimed to destroy six GPS jammers during the Iraq War, including one that was destroyed ironically with a GPS-guided bomb.[72] Such a jammer is relatively easy to detect and locate, making it an attractive target for anti-radiation missiles. The UK Ministry of Defence tested a jamming system in the UK's West Country on 7 and 8 June 2007.[73]

Some countries allow the use of GPS repeaters to allow for the reception of GPS signals indoors and in obscured locations, however, under EU and UK laws, the use of these is prohibited as the signals can cause interference to other GPS receivers that may receive data from both GPS satellites and the repeater.

Due to the potential for both natural and man-made noise, numerous techniques continue to be developed to deal with the interference. The first is to not rely on GPS as a sole source. According to John Ruley, "IFR pilots should have a fallback plan in case of a GPS malfunction".[74] Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM) is a feature now included in some receivers, which is designed to provide a warning to the user if jamming or another problem is detected. The U.S. military has also deployed their Selective Availability / Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) in the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver (DAGR). In demonstration videos, the DAGR is able to detect jamming and maintain its lock on the encrypted GPS signals during interference which causes civilian receivers to lose lock.

 

[Patriot]

Yeah take out US GPS Sat's and then you will see B-2 bombers in your skies bombing the crap out of your country.The only countries who have balls to do this is Russia and China.

 

[Developereo]

Yeah take out US GPS Sat's and then you will see B-2 bombers in your skies bombing the crap out of your country.The only countries who have balls to do this is Russia and China.

I know, but localized jamming or some other way to fool the receiver would be worth researching.

I imagine that military receivers would use encrypted signals which could not be faked, but every system has an Achilles' heel.

 

[Patriot]

but why would you want to JAM GPS..our millitary toys rely on GPS!

 

[Righteous_Fire]

but why would you want to JAM GPS..our millitary toys rely on GPS!

What do you mean

.our

!! We dont have GPS driven advanced military tech!! like them

Develepero is right in his approach, The biggest advantage the eeu ess of aay has in any theater of war is GPS, i myself havent had much knowledge on the topic or maybe thats something they dont want you to know

 

[Developereo]

but why would you want to JAM GPS..our millitary toys rely on GPS!

I was thinking of GPS jamming as a missile defence shield of sorts, around cities and sensitive areas, to be turned on when the nation is under attack.

If our birds need GPS, the jammers could be switched off while they are in transit over the sensitive areas.

Maybe this is too much like science fiction.

 

[Patriot]

What do you mean !! We dont have GPS driven advanced military tech!! like them

Develepero is right in his approach, The biggest advantage the eeu ess of aay has in any theater of war is GPS, i myself havent had much knowledge on the topic or maybe thats something they dont want you to know

Our F-16's rely on GPS for navigation...Same for other planes.Also not to mention our cruise missiles, ballisitc missiles and we will get GPS guided bombs with JDAM Kits next year.

 

[gambit]

I was thinking of GPS jamming as a missile defence shield of sorts, around cities and sensitive areas, to be turned on when the nation is under attack.

If our birds need GPS, the jammers could be switched off while they are in transit over the sensitive areas.

Maybe this is too much like science fiction.

There is no need for any US adversary to jam our GPS signals...We will do it for him free of charge...



GPS Selective Availability - USCG Navigation Center

The decision to discontinue SA is coupled with our continuing efforts to upgrade the military utility of our systems that use GPS, and is supported by threat assessments which conclude that setting SA to zero at this time would have minimal impact on national security. Additionally, we have demonstrated the capability to selectively deny GPS signals on a regional basis when our national security is threatened. This regional approach to denying navigation services is consistent with the 1996 plan to discontinue the degradation of civil and commercial GPS service globally through the SA technique.

Here is the scoop on GPS Selective Availability...

Information about the End of GPS Selective Availability

Selective Availability (SA) was an intentional degradation of public GPS signals implemented for national security reasons. At the direction of the President, SA was discontinued in May 2000 to make GPS more responsive to civil and commercial users worldwide. The U.S. Government has no intent to use SA again.

The Selective Availability feature degrade, or decrease the accuracy level of the public signal while keeping the military signal superior. It has to do with altering the timing clock signals transmitted to any receiver. Once the US is able to improve upon this SA feature, which is to disable the entire GPS system ONLY WHEN THE SATELLITES ARE OVER A CERTAIN GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION there is no need to continue using the 'old' Selective Availability feature when the 'new' one offers much more flexibility.

But if we can disable GPS regionally, who is to say that we cannot introduce errors into the signals, regionally of course, instead of disabling them? Of course we can so introduce such errors and have no doubt that such capability is already in place and tested.

What does that mean for any potential US adversary whose weapons rely on the American GPS for accuracy? What use is it to jam when the signals themselves are suspect? But how would he know that they are suspect and WHEN did they, or would they, become suspect? How would he know that his missiles would land on empty sea instead of a US aircraft carrier? Inertial Navigation (INS) is no good against a moving target. For all he know, his missiles may return to base because they were using erroneous signals.

Selective Availability (SA) is no longer necessary. We got selective regional availability instead. Do not put all your eggs into the Russian or the Chinese baskets. Satellites do not last forever and these GPS satellites are replaced by US on a regular basis. Neither the Russian nor the Chinese have anything near the capability of the first generation of US GPS satellites...

GPS Satellite Generations

The Block IIF satellite, a generation of GPS vehicles that are planned to replace older satellites. Boeing NASSD is the prime contractor for the Block IIF, which incorporates current technology to sustain the GPS utility for military and commercial use. The NAVSTAR Global Positioning System (GPS) Joint Program Office procurement of the NAVSTAR Global Positioning System Sustainment (Block IIF) will sustain the quality GPS signal as a world-wide utility well into the next century at the lowest technical risk and acquisition and life-cycle costs. GPS Block IIF will be backward compatible with previous GPS satellite, control facilities, and user equipment. The proposed procurement for a constellation of 51 GPS Block IIF series satellites has been reduced to 33 satellites.

The American GPS was originally intended for military purposes but as long as the rest of the world continues to benefit, economically and humanitarian, from the American GPS system, and there is no doubt that a lot of money have been made and civilian lives saved, from environmental issues to agriculture, because of this technology, it will be difficult for Russia, China or even the EU to justify spending billions to develop an alternative system.

 

[Patriot]

That is dangerous what if we launch a nuclear weapon against India and missile land in Iran..This is dangerous stuff.

 

[Developereo]

That is dangerous what if we launch a nuclear weapon against India and missile land in Iran..This is dangerous stuff.

I remember reading somewhere that many, especially non-Western, missiles use a combination of GPS and GLONASS for guidance. I don't know what the missile does if there is a major discrepancy between the GPS and GLONASS readings.

 

[gambit]

I remember reading somewhere that many, especially non-Western, missiles use a combination of GPS and GLONASS for guidance. I don't know what the missile does if there is a major discrepancy between the GPS and GLONASS readings.

There already are civilian equipments that utilizes both systems. But what is significant is that GLONASS, despite having the same age as the American GPS, is inferior because of the fits and starts of the program by the Soviets and later the Russians.

When Selective Availability was active, GLONASS was more accurate than civilian GPS, but when the SA feature of eliminated by Presidential Executive Order (Clinton) the American GPS came out to be more accurate. GLONASS deployment of satellites is superior to GPS for northern and southern hemispheres, but GPS is superior for equatorial regions, where most humans concentrate. GLONASS satellites have an optimistic lifespan of 7-10 years while GPS have an operation life of 15 yrs.

World Geodetic System - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The World Geodetic System is a standard for use in cartography, geodesy, and navigation. It comprises a standard coordinate frame for the Earth, a standard spheroidal reference surface (the datum or reference ellipsoid) for raw altitude data, and a gravitational equipotential surface (the geoid) that defines the nominal sea level.

GPS uses the current WGS84 system. GLONASS uses the Soviet Geodetic System, no one take that seriously except, of course, the Russians. We exploit it simply because it is available.

In peace time, by all means use the GONADS. In war...against US...better turn off all GPS features, else your missiles might come back to you.

 

[zraver]

GPS sats sit well out of range. They are not low hanging fruit but some 12000km +in space.

 

[Screaming Skull]

I remember reading somewhere that many, especially non-Western, missiles use a combination of GPS and GLONASS for guidance. I don't know what the missile does if there is a major discrepancy between the GPS and GLONASS readings.

The current version of the BrahMos missile uses a hybrid GPS-GLONASS navigation. The GPS is the primary navigational aid, but in case the GPS fails, malfunction or is intentionally switched off, the missile can switch over to the GLONASS. Affects the accuracy, but ensures that the missile is not going east when it is meant to go west!