Russia has figured out how to jam U.S. drones in Syria, officials say
Source: NBC News
Four U.S. officials said Russia's signal scrambling has seriously affected military operations.
by Courtney Kube / Apr.10.2018 / 4:32 AM ET
WASHINGTON — The Russian military has been jamming some U.S. military drones operating in the skies over Syria, seriously affecting American military operations, according to four U.S. officials.
The Russians began jamming some smaller U.S. drones several weeks ago, the officials said, after a series of suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians in rebel-held eastern Ghouta. The Russian military was concerned the U.S. military would retaliate for the attacks and began jamming the GPS systems of drones operating in the area, the officials explained.
Jamming, which means blocking or scrambling a drone's reception of a signal from a GPS satellite, can be uncomplicated, according to Dr. Todd Humphreys, the director of the Radionavigation Laboratory at the University of Texas at Austin. "GPS receivers in most drones can be fairly easily jammed," he said
Humphreys, an expert on the spoofing and jamming of GPS, warns this could have a significant impact on U.S. drones, causing them to malfunction or even crash. "At the very least it could cause some serious confusion" for the drone operator on the ground if the drone reports an incorrect position or is lost, he said.
Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/russia-has-figured-out-how-jam-u-s-drones-syria-n863931
= new reply since forum marked as read
