Russia scrambles GPS systems of powerful F-22 Raptors and F-35 Jets in Middle East
Among other things, electronic warfare by Russia, including jamming, poses a significant threat to civilian air traffic, police, and peacetime medical operations.
Experts distinguish between jammer and identity theft. So, if the jammer amounts to creating electronic noise to disrupt GPS services, identity theft, on the other hand, is to deceive and manipulate a satellite navigation system to provide false data.
In late June 2019, The Times of Israel reported that since last spring, pilots flying in the Middle East, especially around Syria, had noted that their GPS systems were showing the wrong location or had stopped working altogether.
According to data collected by American researchers, the signal that disrupted (and allegedly continues to do so until now) satellite navigation for planes flying in Israeli airspace comes from the Russian air base in Khmeimim in Syria.
Khmeimim Air Base houses sophisticated Russian military hardware, including S-400 surface-to-air missile batteries, Pantsir-S1 anti-aircraft systems and Su-57 stealth fighter jets
Russia is most likely seeking to protect its troops in Syria, including from drone attacks, by interfering and waging active electronic warfare. According to The National Interest, Israeli sources are "increasingly convinced" that the failure of GPS for civilian flights in the region "is a side effect of Russian radio interference in Syria".
In recent years, ships have also reported GPS jammer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, with Russia suspected of carrying out electronic jammers to protect troops in Syria fighting for Bashar al-Assad's regime.
However, jamming may well be the result of identity theft. Vessels posting GPS issues at the United States Coast Guard Navigation Center reported having apparently authentic satellite signals but were unable to receive credible positioning information, echoing spoofing events. identity in Syria near the Russian air base.
Moscow is believed to be trying to interfere with Western planes, including the latest F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters, and armed drones that periodically attempt to attack Russia's Khmeimim base in Syria in Latakia.
As of April 2019, the US Air Force deployed the F-22 and F-35 stealth fighters to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates respectively. It was part of a larger build-up of forces in the context of the US-Iran confrontation in the region.
Russia is also seen in the GPS war on the European continent. "Interference to GPS signals was first detected during a large-scale NATO Trident Junction exercise in Norway at the end of October 2018," the Defense noted earlier. News.
Norwegian military intelligence then said it recorded a source of interference from a Russian military base on the heavily fortified Kola Peninsula. Finnish military intelligence also indicated that the analysis of the Norwegian partners reflected their own investigations and assessments.
The Norwegian government has denounced what it calls the continued “electronic harassment” of critical communications systems and networks by the Russian government. “The Norwegian government hated Russia's electronic jammer actions and is stepping up collaboration with Nordic partner states to improve intelligence sharing regarding Russian military signal blocking technologies and measures,” Bakke- Jensen, the Norwegian Minister of Defense.
The Norwegian Armed Forces are also exploring the use of new methods and technologies to protect against interference from military communications and the interference of GPS systems by Russia. The US Air Force is currently planning to test interference-resistant GPS systems in Europe. This will be done with the aim of countering Russian electronic warfare.
