More on magnitude of problem.
Upon researching the impact of GPS failures in U.S. aviation, several documented incidents highlight the significant risks these failures pose.
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Military GPS Jamming: A considerable number of failures have been attributed to military jamming exercises. In 2017-2018 alone, hundreds of aircraft flying near test sites experienced GPS signal loss, with some planes straying off course. In one notable 2018 incident in Idaho, GPS interference nearly caused a passenger plane to crash into a mountain. The growing dependence on GPS, combined with such disruptions, has raised alarms within the aviation community about the safety and reliability of these systems.
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Unexplained GPS Failures: From 2013 to mid-2016, 77 incidents of GPS interference or malfunction were reported. These failures often involved temporary signal loss or incorrect positioning, forcing flight crews to switch to backup navigation methods or rely more heavily on air traffic control.
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Personal Privacy Devices (PPDs): In 2012, a famous case at Newark Airport involved a truck driver using a PPD that interfered with the airport’s GPS-based landing systems. Similar incidents have occurred elsewhere, such as in Philadelphia, where PPDs have affected aircraft approaches. These devices, though intended to block personal GPS tracking, can inadvertently create serious risks for aviation operations.
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To account for the remaining 62% to 78% of the 1%, factors such as atmospheric conditions, signal interference in urban environments (like tall buildings causing signal shadowing), or undetected minor equipment failures could be involved. Although these issues are less frequently reported or fully understood, they can still significantly contribute to the overall GPS outage percentage.
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The problem of GPS jamming becomes more serious as new aircraft like Joby’s eVTOLs and more drones take to the skies, all of which rely heavily on GPS for safe flying. As air traffic grows, so does the chance of GPS signal interference, which could lead to crashes, flight disruptions, or delays.
Cheap jamming devices and political tensions make these issues worse, especially in busy cities where signal interference is already common. To keep things safe, aviation authorities will need to improve GPS reliability and backup systems.