GPS jamming in the Middle East has crippled navigation for about 1,000 cargo ships and oil tankers in the Gulf and Gulf of Oman—half the vessels there, mostly off the UAE and Oman— since US-Israeli strikes began.
Unlike modern smartphones, which tap into four GNSS constellations (US GPS, Europe’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS, China’s BeiDou) and dual-frequency bands for robust positioning, most ships rely solely on the outdated L1 C/A GPS signal from the 1990s.
This leaves them vulnerable when jammed. Jamming is simple: a louder radio transmitter overwhelms the faint GPS signal, creating “a wall of mush”. More insidious is spoofing, which fools a ship’s AIS — transmitting fake positions, like vessels appearing on land in Iran or the Emirates.
GPS powers more than location; it synchronizes clocks, radar, and speed logs essential for massive ships. Without it, crews revert to 20th-century tools like radar and landmarks, risking peril in crowded waters like the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf states jam defensively against Iran’s Shahed drones, accepting disruptions to air traffic, maritime ops, and apps — mirroring Israel’s 2024 tactics.
Aviation fares worse: no plane uses multi-GNSS receivers due to regulations. Startups explore magnetic or inertial alternatives, but reliable GPS-free navigation remains distant.
AFP
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