U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran disrupt navigation systems, stranding hundreds of vessels in the region due to electronic jamming activities.
Following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, electronic signal jamming activities have been detected both in the Strait of Hormuz and in other regions. The navigation systems of hundreds of vessels have been disrupted. Officials stated that the malfunctioning of navigation systems poses an extremely dangerous situation.
Within the first 24 hours following the attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, the navigation systems of many vessels operating in the region suddenly went offline. The positions of some vessels began to appear at airports, nuclear power plants, or within Iranian territory.
According to a report by NTV, it was indicated that this situation stemmed from intense jamming and spoofing activities targeting satellite-based navigation systems.
According to data provided by maritime intelligence company Windward, on February 28, more than 1,100 commercial vessels had their navigation systems disrupted due to electronic interference in the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Iran.
Electronic jamming has also severely slowed down maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which approximately 20% of the world's oil and natural gas exports pass.
Windward maritime analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann stated that the disruption of vessels' navigation systems represents an extremely dangerous situation.
According to Windward's analysis, 21 new GPS jamming points were detected in the region within the first 24 hours after the outbreak of the war. A day later, this number rose to 38. As of the latest data, from the start of the war until March 3, 1,735 GPS interferences affecting 655 vessels were recorded. Most of these incidents lasted from 3 to 4 hours.
WHY IS GPS AN EASY TARGET?
The GPS system of the United States, along with Europe’s Galileo, China’s BeiDou, and Russia’s GLONASS systems, is used globally for navigation. However, most of these systems broadcast open signals for civilian use. Since satellite signals weaken before reaching Earth, they can be easily suppressed by strong radio signals. This situation renders the navigation systems of modern ships and aircraft vulnerable to electronic attacks.
Source: SeaNews Türkiye
