What causes GPS interference?

Last reviewed 21 October 2026

GPS and other satellite-navigation signals are faint by the time they reach Earth. Radio interference can drown them out, while spoofing can replace them with convincing but false signals.

The causes below are possibilities, not diagnoses: this aircraft-report map cannot identify a transmitter, its operator or intent.

Conflict jamming read more ›

Illegal jammers and spoofing read more ›

Space weather read more ›

Tests and exercises read more ›

Aircraft and equipment read more ›

A fighter jet silhouetted on a carrier deck under a stormy sunset sky — Flight operations at sunset. Photo: U.S. Navy.

01 / Conflict

Conflict jamming

Military forces may jam or spoof satellite navigation around conflict zones and sensitive sites, to protect against drones and missiles that steer by satellite or to confuse an adversary. The affected footprint can cross borders and reach civilian aircraft and ships far from the source, which is why a war on one side of a border can show up on the aircraft-report map hundreds of kilometres away.

Conflicts linked to interference today

The Russia–Ukraine war. Aircraft GPS-degradation events in the Black Sea, Caucasus, Eastern Europe and Baltic regions have been linked to zones affected by the war (Aviation Week, October 2026). See the Baltic Sea, Eastern Europe and Black Sea pages for today's figures.
The Iran war and the wider Middle East. Interference around the Persian Gulf and wider Middle East during the Iran war has been reported, with jamming and spoofing attributed to multiple parties (Foreign Policy, June 2026). See the Middle East and Eastern Mediterranean pages.

These are dated reports, not a live assessment of hostilities or proof of who caused any particular map reading.

A red-lit radio tower with dishes against the Milky Way — Radio transmitters can overpower faint satellite signals. Photo: CC0.

02 / Deliberate interference

Illegal jammers and spoofing

Small, unauthorised transmitters can overpower the weak signals received from navigation satellites. Vehicle jammers are one example; spoofing equipment can transmit counterfeit signals that make a receiver calculate a false position or time.

The map's aircraft reports can show an area of concern, but cannot tell whether the cause is deliberate or identify who is responsible. See the map's limitations.

Green and pink northern lights over the coast of Lofoten, Norway — The northern lights over Lofoten, a sign of solar activity. Photo: Johannes Groll.

03 / Natural effects

Space weather

Solar activity can disturb Earth's ionosphere, changing how satellite signals travel and sometimes degrading positioning, especially at high latitudes. This differs from a local radio jammer: space weather is a natural, broad-scale effect. NASA's space-weather visualization explains the phenomenon.

An F-35 fighter in flight over Finland during a NATO air exercise — An F-35 over Finland during a NATO air exercise. Photo: U.S. Air Force.

04 / Planned activity

Tests and exercises

Military training and authorised equipment tests can involve planned interference. Notices to pilots and maritime users may warn of scheduled activity, but a map pattern alone cannot distinguish a test from other causes.

Two pilots at a glass cockpit with a navigation display — Aircraft can report low accuracy because of receiver or antenna problems. Photo: U.S. Air Force.

05 / Aircraft

Aircraft and equipment

Faulty or older avionics, a receiver not connected to the transponder, or a temporarily blocked antenna can all lead an aircraft to report low GPS accuracy. That is why low accuracy is a sign of interference, not proof. Read how the map works and its limitations.

About attribution. The map measures aircraft-reported accuracy; it does not detect a jammer directly, distinguish jamming from spoofing or establish responsibility. Conflict descriptions above are linked to their dated reporting so they are not mistaken for live intelligence.