What is Signal Spoofing – What is Signal Spoofing … How is the threat to aircraft on the India -Pakistan border? – What is Signal Spoofing and how it risks flight safety on India Pakistan border area ntc

Aircraft flying in the border areas of India in Amritsar and Jammu are facing a growing challenge: electronic signals that mimic the satellite navigation beam. The danger is that fake signals can compromise on the safety of passengers and crew. The government said in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that ‘signal spoofing’ has been reported in more than 450 Indian flights in the last two years. What is signal spoofing? What is it on civil flights and why does it happen? Let’s know about it …

Signal spoofing

Air controllers that provide necessary aids from the aircraft and land in the air depend on the satellite signals received from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) for the air controllers, navigation, surveillance and tracking.

These satellite signals are often weak and aircraft systems leave them and follow strong signals that mimic satellite signals- this phenomenon is known as signal spoofing. According to the platform opsgroup sharing information for the aviation industry, GNSS Spoofing is severely affected by Civil Aviation in September 2023. As of August 2024, signal spoofing has been reported daily in about 1500 flights.

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According to the central government, between November 2023 and February 2025 in India, about 465 flights in Amritsar and Jammu regions were affected by GPS/GNSS Spoofing. According to OPSGROP, fake signal flight management system, ground proximity warning system, aircraft clock, weather radar, controller-pilot data link communication, automatic dependent surveillance-bodcast (ads-b) and automatic dependent surveillance (ads-b) and automatic dependent surveillance (ads-b) Are.

Safety challenges from signal spoofing

Spoofing is considered a security risk for flight operation. Because it hinders the normal functioning of important equipment present in the aircraft. If this happens, the aircraft can deviate from its flight route, resulting in what kind of geographical area the aircraft is flying over the geographical area, the data related to it does not get the pilot and this causes a risk of serious accident.

A circular issued by the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) states that the pilot may get navigation or terrain -related misleading information due to the jamming or spuffing attack, which may adversely affect flight security. The circular of the DGCA states that the effect of spuofing attack may be temporary, in which the affected areas may improve, or may also be permanent, which may cause non -improvement conditions.

In the security warning issued by operators in January, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had said that GPS spoofing pose a possible threat to flight security for civil aviation. However, alternative systems for navigation in aircraft still exist, but according to GPS Innovation Alliance, these analog systems are not as capable as GPS and other GNSS signals. GPS/GNSS spoofing attacks are especially around the conflict zone. The most signal is near the Spuling Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Israel, Lebanon, Cyprus and Egypt. Opsgroup said in a September 2024 report that a lot of signal spoofing cases have been registered on the Black C, Western Russia and India/Pakistan border.

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Use of signal spoofing

Conflict zone or surroundings, signal spoofing is often used as a defense tool against drones, aircrafts, missile systems and other guided-actresses violating border areas. It is also deployed to disrupt flight routes of other GPS-guided weapons, missiles, autonomus or mand vehicles. While flying in these areas, civil aircrafts become unwanted targets of signal spoofing.

After India’s air strike in 2019, Pakistan is strengthening its air defense along the border and it is possible that Islamabad has deployed systems that leave the GPS/GNSS copy of the GPS/GNSS. Police, other law enforcement agencies and security forces also deploy spoofing devices to prevent drone operations in sensitive areas. The counter-drain system, which are believed to be posted in areas bordering Pakistan, use signal spoofing to grounded drones.

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Amritsar and Jammu have been among the highest signal spoofing affected border areas of India, where enemy drones have been seen landing in the Indian border with guns, ammunition, drugs and money in recent years. According to reports, the Border Security Force (BSF) has either killed 107 and 184 Pakistani drones in Amritsar and Jammu sectors in 2023 and 2024 respectively or has managed to stop entering the Indian border area.