With the advancement of technology, cheap GPS signal jammers are becoming a serious threat to drone operations. Today, such jammers can be purchased online for as little as $50, bringing unprecedented challenges. This phenomenon is not only a threat to commercial drones, but also drones used by law enforcement.
Threats to drones with cheap blocker devices
In 2018, 46 drones crashed due to jamming devices during a choreographed sound and light show in Hong Kong. The incident caused about $1 million in property damage and highlighted the severity of jamming technology. Although most drones are equipped with safety protocols that allow them to return to the base station or land safely when jamming occurs, this incident proved that these measures are insufficient in the face of strong jamming.
How advanced technology can deal with the challenge of GPS jamming
Drones rely on GPS signals for positioning, navigation, and stabilization, and even with backup systems (such as INS/OPS), they cannot completely replace the role of GPS. Therefore, jamming becomes the most direct way to shoot down drones and cause damage. The commercial drone industry is actively seeking solutions to this problem, and one of these solutions comes from infiniDome. Their GPSdome device is integrated into the drone's GNSS receiver and uses a unique interference filtering system to receive signals through two omnidirectional antennas, analyze interference signals in real time, and use proprietary algorithms to filter and reject any RF interference, thereby ensuring that the drone can still rely on GPS signals under interference conditions.
In addition, Easy Aerial recently integrated GPSdome into its military-grade autonomous drone system. Ido Gur, the company's co-founder and CEO, said that GPSdome was selected because of its proven reliability and suitability for use in the world's harshest environments. Although its system is equipped with multiple redundant units, GPS signals are critical to maintaining the accuracy of the drone's positioning, navigation and timing.
Other companies, such as Sepentrio, are also addressing the issue of GPS jamming in drone applications through integrated sensor solutions. Clearly, the issue of GPS jamming and spoofing will continue to gain attention, and developers are also constantly developing tools to help combat this growing threat.