Military testing to knock out radar and GPS near base in Scotland

It will run from Monday, September 23, to Friday October 4.

The trial will see jamming of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and licence exempt frequencies in areas around Western Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man, impacting remotely piloted aircraft systems, radar and GPS.

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All L1 systems will be blocked from 5000ft above sea level and below, and expected to cover an area up to seven nautical miles (13km) up to the ‘possible but unlikely’ range of 27 nautical miles (50km).

L2 systems will be blocked from 10,000 to 40,000 feet above sea level and below, up to seven nautical miles and a ‘possible but unlikely’ distance of 49 (90km).

Licence exempt frequencies will be jammed up for up to 38 nautical miles (70km) at 400ft above ground level.

The trial will affect aeroplanes, drones, helicopters, ferries and other boats who will have their GPS and radars jammed.

The Ministry of Defence did not respond to a request for comment on the nature of the tests.

However, last month it announced that a new £20m ‘silent hangar’ would be build as MOD Boscombe in Wiltshire by QinetiQ, which also operates West Freugh.

The new facility will allow the ministry to “test the integrity of the UK’s military equipment”, simulating its readiness to respond to electronic warfare.

Earlier this year Estonia suspended all flights to its second largest airport, Tartu, due to jamming in the Baltic Sea by Russian forces looking to block the GPS of Ukrainian drones.

Finland, Sweden and other Baltic states have also raised concerns about the threat to flight safety.

Publicly available data reported by commercial pilots shows a huge increase in interference around the conflict zone, with an average of 350 flights per day affected.

Jamming data for Europe (Image: gpsjam.org)

Jamming works by broadcasting a more powerful signal on the same frequency as GPS and radars are using to down it out.

British Air Marshall Johnny Stringer, the deputy commander of NATO’s Allied Air Command, said the interference with civil aviation did not appear to be deliberate on the part of Russia, calling it “careless Russian jamming activity”.

The Kremlin has the most sophisticated electronic warfare equipment in the world, according to former U.S. Department of Defence officer David T. Pyne with “the longest range and most powerful GPS and radio frequency jammers of any nation”.

Its electronic weapons have caused around 90% of guided missile and drone systems supplied by the U.S to Ukraine to miss their target.

In March Russia was accused of having jammed the signal on an RAF aircraft carrying Grant Shapps back from Poland for around 30 minutes as it flew close to Kaliningrad.

Speaking after the announcement of the new ‘silent hanger’  Will Blamey, Chief Executive, UK Defence, QinetiQ, said:  “On an increasingly digital battlefield, the debilitating effects of electronic warfare are a persistent threat.  

“The testing we will conduct using this new facility will be integral to strengthening the resilience of military equipment, which in turn enhances the safety and security of our Armed Forces and the United Kingdom. 

Richard Bloomfield, Head of Electronic Warfare (CBRN) Space at Defence Equipment & Support, said: “The subject of GPS jamming has been well documented in the press, making this new facility all the more vital to help us keep our armed forces safe while protecting the nation and our allies. 

“Not only will this be one of the largest such chambers in Europe, but it will also be one of the most up to date and high-tech in the world, where hostile environments can be safely recreated to put military equipment, such as fighter jets and drones, through testing to understand their performance in challenging environments representing the many external threats that may be faced.”