GPS signal jammer technology has flourished, with various parties using it extensively during the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza. However, due to its complex technical setup, this technology is often difficult to master, and has even caused serious interference with air traffic in a large area from Finland to Egypt. Commercial aircraft encounter tens of thousands of jamming events every year, which sometimes affect the normal operations of airlines, raising public concerns about aviation safety.
In the context of Safran's strategy to reduce product development time, the Skyjacker system was developed quickly by relying on the expertise of its subsidiary Orolia. Orolia is a French company specializing in ultra-high precision positioning and navigation, which was acquired by Safran in 2022. The Skyjacker system was developed in just six months, demonstrating its ability to respond quickly in the context of a war economy. Skyjacker proved its effectiveness during the Coubertin Lad II exercise held at the 107th Air Base in Velizy-Villacoublay last March. In addition, the system will be deployed during the upcoming Olympic Games, and its Olympic version was developed in conjunction with Hologarde, a French company specializing in counter-drone technology.
The Skyjacker system misleads drones into thinking they are in the wrong location by emitting a modified cone of signals to replace those emitted by navigation satellites such as GPS and GLONASS. The Skyjacker system's advantages include:
- Efficient deception technology: The Skyjacker system misleads drones into thinking they are in the wrong location by emitting a modified cone of signals to replace navigation satellite signals. This technology not only works against drones flown by lone operators, but also protects large areas at ranges of 1 to 50 kilometers.
- Widely adaptable and directional: The system's beam is ultra-directional and the range can be adjusted to the specific situation, ensuring that target drones within the effective range are affected while not interfering with aircraft passing near the system.
- Proven effectiveness: The Skyjacker system has demonstrated its effectiveness in actual exercises and tests.
- Dual military and civilian applications: In addition to its planned deployment at the Olympic Games and military parades, the system is also designed for military use, particularly in the Ukrainian battlefield to counter the growing drone threat.
Safran plans to deploy Skyjacker systems at the Olympics and during the July 14 military parade, and also plans to apply this GPS decoy solution to military use, especially in the Ukrainian battlefield. As the threat of drones increases on the battlefield, Skyjacker systems will be an effective tool to counter these low-cost, high-value attack threats. However, Safran also realizes that many drones are equipped with systems that can continue to navigate in the presence of GPS jammers, making decoy these drones a more challenging task.
