Do jammers affect pilot judgment?

Cox Nicole 2022/08/19

　　The U.S. Navy's next-generation GPS jammers promises a new, more capable electronic warfare system that combines agile, high-power beam-jamming technology with cutting-edge solid-state electronics.

　　But manned aircraft are generally immune to signal jamming, and pilots in the cockpit can always make their own decisions in the event of a loss of communications or navigation, but with no one in the cockpit, jamming is still a problem. U.S. Navy drones could pose a serious threat. The low power of the GPS signal reaching the receiver makes the jammer power effective even at very low power levels, which makes jamming of GPS relatively easy and cheap. There are a variety of jamming methods on the market, and for $1,000.00 you can find a very efficient method that can deliver at least 100 watts of power.

　　The Growler will be the first platform to carry the NGJ, but the new jammer was originally envisioned to be integrated with the F-35 Lighting II, but the concept would be more expensive than initially expected and impossible to implement. Still, after the NGL is in service and further work is done to enable it to perform inside the F-35 variant, the idea may be revisited, and the system could be transferred to modular units for other aircraft types.

　　The Russians began sabotaging some small U.S. drones weeks ago, following a series of suspected chemical weapons attacks on civilians in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta. Fearing U.S. military retaliation for the attack, the Russian military began jamming the GPS systems of drones operating in the area.

　　Jamming means preventing or disrupting the drone's reception of signals from GPS satellites, which may not be complicated. The GPS receivers of most drones can be easily jammed by high-power jammers, and the jammed drone can malfunction or even crash.