Home / Problems We Solve / GPS jamming and spoofing
DefenceWhen GPS is jammed, the drone must still fly the mission
Satellite signals are easy to jam, spoof or block, and a drone that depends on them can drift or be lost.
Why do drones lose GPS, and what happens next?
Most drones trust satellite navigation completely. In a contested area, or simply in a deep valley, that signal can disappear or lie. The aircraft then loses its position just when the team needs it most.
GPS and other satellite signals are very weak by the time they reach the ground. A small transmitter can drown them out, and a false signal can convince a drone that it is somewhere else. Terrain and buildings can cause similar trouble with no adversary at all.
What happens next depends on the aircraft. Many drones hover, drift, land or try to fly home using bad data. For surveillance or defence work, that can end the mission or lose the aircraft.
Signs you have this problem
- Your drone drifts or shows position warnings in certain areas
- Flights fail or end early near borders or sensitive sites
- The drone behaves unpredictably in valleys or dense urban areas
- Your mission plan has no answer for what happens if GPS is lost
What to look for
- Automatic fallback when satellite data is degraded or spoofed
- Visual-inertial odometry for position hold and route following
- Sensor fusion across several independent sensors
- Return-to-home that does not need a satellite lock
The main causes
Jamming
A nearby transmitter drowns out the weak satellite signal, so the drone has no position fix.
Spoofing
A false signal tells the drone it is somewhere else, and it flies the wrong way with full confidence.
Blockage
Valleys, forests and buildings block or reflect the signal, even with no adversary around.
Before and after
How to solve it, step by step
- 1
Sense
Camera, motion, barometer, optical-flow and range sensors run all the time.
- 2
Fuse
Readings are blended so no single sensor can mislead the aircraft.
- 3
Switch
When GNSS is degraded or spoofed, the on-board estimate takes over.
- 4
Finish
The drone completes its route or returns home without a satellite lock.
Common questions
What is the difference between GPS jamming and spoofing?
Jamming blocks the satellite signal, so the drone knows it has no fix. Spoofing sends a false signal, so the drone may believe a wrong position, which can be harder to detect.
Can a drone fly without GPS?
Yes, if it has GPS-denied navigation. It estimates its own movement from on-board sensors such as a camera, motion sensors, barometer, optical flow and a rangefinder.
Which Decouvertes drones support GPS-denied navigation?
Our Products page lists GPS-denied navigation for Vision 2.0, Vision 3.0 and Vision 4.0.
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