GNSS Spoofing

Description:

GNSS spoofing is an electronic warfare technique that transmits counterfeit satellite navigation signals to deceive a target receiver into calculating a false position, altitude, or time value. Unlike jamming, which denies navigation by overpowering satellite signals with broadband noise, spoofing replaces genuine GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou signals with fabricated replicas that the target receiver accepts as legitimate — making the attack significantly harder to detect and more controllable in its effects.

In counter-UAS applications, GNSS spoofing systems transmit signals calibrated to gradually shift a drone’s perceived position away from its actual location. The drone’s autopilot interprets the false data as genuine and corrects its flight path accordingly, steering the aircraft in the direction the spoofer dictates. This carry-off technique allows ground operators to redirect hostile drones to designated capture zones, trigger forced landings, or push intruding UAVs out of protected airspace without firing a shot or generating debris over populated areas.

Hardware implementations range from software-defined radio (SDR) based portable units to rack-mounted fixed installations with multi-channel RF output, real-time signal synthesis engines, and power adjustment ranges of up to 80dB across all four major GNSS constellations simultaneously. Effective operational ranges vary from several hundred meters for man-portable units to over 10 kilometers for fixed networked systems integrated with radar cueing and RF detection sensors.

Beyond counter-drone use, GNSS spoofing technology is relevant to electronic warfare training programs, red team vulnerability assessments of navigation-dependent systems, and testing of GNSS anti-spoofing firmware on military and commercial platforms operating across Pakistan’s contested airspace and border regions.

Tactical Supply Pakistan supplies GNSS spoofing systems and associated electronic warfare equipment for counter-UAS operations, EW training, and navigation security testing procurement across Pakistan.