A RUSSIAN device that can reportedly jam Global Positioning System (GPS) signals over a 200-kilometre radius could provide terrorists with a cheap and simple means to befuddle aircraft navigation systems.
GPS and its Russian counterpart, Glonass, rely on a network of satellites to broadcast radio signals which a receiver uses to deduce its position. Since the satellites don't carry large power sources, the signals they broadcast are weak, which makes them vulnerable to jamming.
The Russian device, from a company called Aviaconversia, first came to light at the Moscow Air Show in September. The company announced that it can offer a portable, 4-watt GPS/Glonass jammer for less than $4000. It claimed that this low-power device could prevent aircraft from locking on to a GPS signal.
Testing the device would be illegal in most Western countries. But as news of the device spreads, GPS experts are taking Aviaconversia's claim ...
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