Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
GNSS Spoofing and Jamming
"Electronic warfare techniques that disrupt or falsify satellite navigation signals to endanger ships, aircraft, and critical infrastructure"
GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) spoofing involves transmitting fake satellite navigation signals that receivers accept as authentic, causing vessels or aircraft to display incorrect positions. GNSS jamming involves broadcasting powerful radio signals on the same frequencies as GPS satellites, drowning out the legitimate signal entirely. Both are forms of electronic warfare that can endanger maritime navigation, aviation, and critical infrastructure.
Highly relevant for GS3 (security, S&T) and GS2 (IR). The 2026 Hormuz crisis produced the largest documented GPS jamming event in maritime history, making this a live current affairs topic for Prelims and Mains.
- 1 GNSS includes GPS (US), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China), NavIC (India)
- 2 GPS operates on L1 frequency: 1575.42 MHz
- 3 Jamming: drowns out legitimate signal with noise
- 4 Spoofing: transmits fake signals accepted as authentic
- 5 Affects ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display) and AIS (Automatic Identification System)
- 6 2026 Hormuz crisis: 1,650+ vessels affected, 30+ jamming clusters
- 7 Maritime traffic through Hormuz fell to near-zero on some days
- 8 NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation): India's regional satellite navigation system
- 9 NavIC covers India + 1,500 km beyond borders; 7 satellites
During the 2026 Iran conflict, maritime analytics firm Windward documented over 1,650 vessels experiencing GPS/AIS interference in the Persian Gulf within two weeks, making it the largest documented GNSS disruption event in history.