MoD airborne warfare exercise to jam GPS

THE Ministry of Defence is to carry out an airborne electronic warfare exercise over the skies of Orkney, which will jam Global Positioning Systems (GPS) off the west coast of the island.

The warfare exercise will take place between Monday and 27 July, with GPS jamming conducted over a maximum of three days.

Each jamming session will comprise a maximum of six, 15-minute periods between 12.15pm and 13.15pm.

In a notice to mariners, sailors have been advised by Orkney Islands Council to "navigate with caution" while dependant on GPS navigation systems "due to the possible disruption and or errors received due to GPS Jamming by the Ministry of Defence."

The disruption covers an area up to 20 nautical miles east of Kirkwall and up to 220 nautical miles west of Orkney.

Jamming aircraft will orbit at 10,000ft above sea level along a 50-mile flightpath.

A recent memo from the communications authority Ofcom added: "The GPS jamming is likely to affect civilian Standard Positioning Service (SPS) receivers over a large area.

"Safety of life operations will take precedence over exercise activities at all times."