New Delhi: Modern warfare is making huge strides in short periods of time, especially electronic warfare. The latest example is the growing use of GPS jamming in waters around the Strait of Hormuz, where hundreds of ships are suddenly appearing in the wrong places on navigation maps. The phenomenon highlights how invisible electromagnetic interference is quietly shaping military and commercial activity in one of the world’s most critical energy corridors facing uncertainty due to the ongoing Israel-US and Iran war.
The advent of GPS jamming tech
GPS jamming occurs when a device deliberately broadcasts radio signals that overwhelm the weak satellite signals used by navigation systems. They prevent receivers from accurately calculating their position. As the satellite signals used by systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) are relatively weak by the time they reach Earth, even small transmitters can interfere with them.
Ships and aircrafts rely heavily on satellite navigation for location tracking and route planning. When the signals are jammed or manipulated, navigation systems may display incorrect coordinates. Ships can even appear to be clustered together when they are not or be seen on land despite being at sea.
Current such tactics are being used in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. Recent monitoring of shipping data in the Strait shows unusual clusters of vessels appearing on tracking maps, which analysts see as a clear sign of GPS jamming. Ships broadcast their position through the Automatic Identification System (AIS), but when GPS signals are jammed, the AIS data also becomes unreliable.
Analysts monitoring the region have identified dozens of circular clusters of ships appearing on digital maps, something that does not happen in real-world navigation. The disruption may be done to disrupt navigation for commercial vessels, complicate surveillance by foreign militaries or protect military installations from drones and GPS-guided weapons. What actors are behind this is still open to conjecture. Multiple actors may also be using jamming technology simultaneously, creating a complex electronic battlefield.
The disruptions are worrisome as the Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and a crucial route for global oil exports. Currently at times of war, uncertainties only compound problems, with oil supplies globally already being thinned due to the conflict. In a congested corridor like the Strait of Hormuz, such navigation errors could trigger accidents, environmental disasters or cause disruptions to the already endangered global energy supplies.
With time though such GPS interferences and similar electronic disruptive means have become another major ploy of modern warfare. They have reportedly been used to affect aircrafts in parts of Europe and have been widely reported during the Russia–Ukraine War as well, showing how GPS disruption has become a routine feature of modern warfare.