India and Israel have friendly relations that further blossomed since 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power at the Centre. But, according to a report, an Israeli technology is threatening the safety of Indian airplanes, which could even result in a fatal plane crash if not countered.
According to a report by the Eurasian Times, Israel is conducting GPS spoofing attacks near the India-Pakistan border, with 465 incidents of interference in aircraft navigation system being recorded within the last 15 months between November 2023 and February 2025, adding that majority of these interferences were recorded in areas in Amritsar and Jammu regions bordering Pakistan.
As the name suggests, GPS spoofing is a malicious spoofing method that manipulates the Global Positioning System (GPS) data, thereby misleading a GPS receiver about its actual location. The technique essentially spoof GPS data to transmit ‘fake’ signals to deceive a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, posing a threat to civilian aircraft which rely on this data to arrive at their destinations.
GPS spoofing results in false information being received by flight navigation systems, preventing them from acquiring real-time data, thus comprising their safety.
Citing a September 2024 report released by the OPS Group, the Eurasian Times report said the areas affected by Israeli GPS spoofing including northwest New Delhi and places around Lahore, Pakistan, adding that the region is ranked ninth worldwide in terms of GPS spoofing between July 15 and August 15, 2024, affecting 316 aircraft.
The report shows spoofing incidents have surged by an alarming 500% in 2024, and during this period around 70% of the flight
crews surveyed have expressed serious concern over the interference.
The Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea and parts of Asia have become major hotspots for GPS spoofing, where more than 1000 flights were affected in August 2024, with pilots flying in these areas reporting multiple incident of GPS jamming and spoofing.
As per the report, one pilot revealed that interference started after crossing the Iran-Pakistan border and continued until the flight left Turkish airspace.
The report noted that Israel Defense Force has aggressively employed GPS spoofing since the Israel launched its brutal military campaign in Gaza after October 7, 2023 Hamas assault. The IDF is using the technique to spy on enemy activities, and mess with guidance systems of enemy missiles and drones, which use GPS to strike their targets.
Notably, Israel has successfully used the strategy in the airspace of several countries including Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Cyprus, which seriously impacted the safety of commercial flights in these regions, and now the technology is threatening security of commercial planes in India, as per the report.
As mentioned earlier, GPS spoofing essentially feeds false date to navigation systems aboard the aircraft which makes it difficult for the pilot to navigate with 100 percent accuracy, and can result in devastating consequences, including a plane crash.
According to data from the OpenSky network, during the last one year, GPS spoofing has impacted more than 50,000 flights in the Middle East, and on several occasions, the pilot almost touched down in the wrong place, which could easily have resulted in a crash.
A few examples include a Swiss International Air Lines that reported GPS spoofing almost every day while flying through the Middle East, and in March 2024, a Turkish Airlines flight to Beirut had to return after circling for 40 minutes due to problems in the navigation system.
Flights depend on accurate GPS data for navigation and spoofing poses a significant threat as it forces the pilots to navigate manually, increasing the risk of an accident manifold.
As per the Eurasian Times report, in November 2023, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s civil aviation watchdog, made it mandatory to report suspected spoofing incidents immediately. Additionally, India has begun adopting guidelines of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to enhance aviation security.
India has also published the National Aviation Safety Plan (NASP) 2024-2028 incorporating ICAO’s standards (SARPs), which is aimed reduce the risk during the operation of flights, strengthen security and air traffic capabilities.
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