The cause of the recent flight cancellations by Finnair planes flying into Estonia did not have anything to do with mechanical failures or bad weather the cause was the GPS signal not being received by the aircraft.
To prevent GPS denial, an aircraft deliberately interferes with the navigation signals that it relies on as part of its navigation.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has been providing maps of areas where GPS is unavailable or unreliable for a long time, and this is not a new phenomenon. Although GPS jamming and spoofing are becoming increasingly powerful weapons of economic and strategic influence around Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, there is growing concern as conflict spreads quickly across these regions.
In some conflict zones, it has been documented that adversarial nations have used false (spoofed) GPS signals to disrupt air transit, shipping, trade, or military logistics and disrupt the daily activities of the nation. There have also been recent talks about anti-satellite weapons, and these discussions have rekindled fears that deliberate actions may be planned to disrupt GPS systems to wreak havoc on the economy. So many aspects of people's lives cannot function without GPS, and they do not even think about it when they do not have it.
In case of a GPS outage, many online services will not function properly (these rely on GPS-based network synchronization) as well as the in-vehicle Satnav not working. On the other hand, users' mobile phones will not be able to access location-based services.
According to studies conducted in the United States and the United Kingdom over the past few years, An analysis by two different academic institutions recently identified that the cost of a temporary outage in economic terms was about $1 billion per day.
However, the strategic impacts could be even greater, especially during times of war.
As the saying goes, infantry win battles, but logistics win wars, and this is a testament to this assertion. The concept that it would be almost impossible to operate military logistics supply chains without GPS, given the heavy dependence on synchronized communication networks, general command and control, and locating and tracking vehicles and materials, is almost impossible to imagine.
The entire system relies on GPS-based information and is susceptible to disruptions in any of them at any time.
Most of the large military and commercial ships as well as aircraft carry GPS backup systems for steering since it was not long ago that navigation was performed without GPS.
At high latitudes and underwater, GPS signals are not always available in all settings-for example, underground and underwater.
It has been found that GPS alternatives depend on signals that can be measured locally (for example, motion or magnetic fields, such as the magnetic field in a compass), meaning that a vessel can navigate even in the absence of GPS or if GPS cannot be trusted at all.
Inertial navigation, for example, uses special accelerometers that measure the movement of the vehicle, in a similar way to how one of those in a user's mobile phone can reorient itself when rotated in a certain direction.
Then, based on the data users notice that the vehicle is moving, and using Newton's laws, users can calculate their likely position after a considerable period. In another technique called "alt-PNT," measurements are made of magnetic and gravitational fields to determine whether the Earth's surface is different from the known variation of these fields. Certainly! Here is the expanded and formalized version of the provided paragraphs.
Reliable GPS is approaching its technological limits, and emerging quantum technologies present a promising path forward.
Ultrastable locally deployed clocks are a key component of these advancements, ensuring that communications networks remain synchronized even during GPS outages. Traditionally, communications networks relied on GPS timing signals for synchronization. However, quantum technology offers a robust alternative.
At the core of this technological shift is the fundamental behaviour of atoms.
Satellite navigation systems depend on signals reflected from space, whereas quantum navigation leverages the precise movement of a single atom tracked under cryogenic conditions. According to New Atlas, a leading science publication, quantum navigation systems operate independently within each vehicle, with measurements taken at the point of use. This method ensures that the signal remains stable and resistant to interception, as noted by Richard Claridge, a physicist at PA Consulting Group.
In May, the United Kingdom conducted two distinct quantum navigation tests one aboard a Royal Navy ship and another on a small jet plane.
Subsequently, in June, London's underground transport system served as a testing ground for this cutting-edge technology. These tests demonstrated that quantum navigation systems are resistant to jamming, underscoring the UK's pioneering role in the future deployment of this technology on a broader scale.
Quantum sensors exploit the immutable laws of nature to detect previously inaccessible signals, providing unprecedented sensitivity and stability.
Consequently, quantum-assured navigation systems offer a reliable defence against GPS outages and enable innovative new missions. The most advanced quantum navigation systems integrate multiple sensors, each detecting unique environmental signals pertinent to navigation. This approach mirrors the technology used in autonomous vehicles, which combines lidar, cameras, ultrasonic detectors, and other sensors to achieve optimal performance.
The evolution of navigation begins with an improved generation of quantum inertial navigation.
However, the capabilities of quantum sensing extend beyond traditional methods by accessing new signals that were previously challenging to detect in real-world environments. As a result, quantum navigation technology represents a significant advancement, ensuring enhanced reliability and opening new possibilities for future applications.
