India Deploys Military Jammers to Disrupt Pakistan’s Aircraft Navigation
India Deploys Military Jammers to Disrupt Pakistan’s Aircraft Navigation
India has implemented advanced jamming systems along its western border to disrupt Pakistani military aircraft. Learn how this affects their navigation and air operations.
Advanced jamming systems have been installed by India along its western border to spoof the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals used by Pakistani military aircraft, crippling their navigation and strike capabilities, as sources say. This follows the airspace closure in India for all Pakistani-operated flights from April 30 to May 23.
Sources continued that the Indian jamming system has been able to interfere with all satellite-based navigation systems, including GPS (of the US), GLONASS (of Russia), and Beidou (of China), all used by the Pakistani military aircraft. The deployment affects the situational awareness, targeting accuracy, and efficacy of Pakistan's precision-guided munitions in any major conflict or incursion scenario.
The action followed increasing strains since the April 22 terrorist attack in Pahalgam, where 26 lives were snuffed out. In retaliation, Indian authorities issued a NOTAM to restrict the airspace for all aircraft registered, operated, or leased by Pakistan, including commercial and military flights, from April 30 to May 23.
Officials said the NOTAM was issued soon after big Pakistani carriers had begun rerouting to avoid Indian airspace, fearing some kind of possible Indian retaliation. Now that the restriction is formalized, the costlier, longer routes of Pakistani airlines will fly through Chinese or Sri Lankan airspace to reach Southeast Asian cities like Kuala Lumpur.
The restriction of airspace is one of the retaliatory actions by India on account of the Pahalgam attack. India has already suspended the Indus Waters Treaty and canceled the visas of Pakistani nationals in this context. Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), the national flag carrier of Pakistan with a fleet of 32 aircraft, stands to be hard hit. This means that many of Pakistan's flights to Southeast Asia and the Far East will now be operated with an added one to two hours of flying time.
These diversions will require extra fuel, extend crew duty hours, and might lead to possible schedule changes or frequency cuts. In contrast, IndiGo is operating more than 370 aircraft, Air India has over 200 aircraft in service, and has hundreds more on order.
