By: Irish D. Torres is an SEO Specialist at Safran Navigation & Timing

Today, aircraft navigation heavily relies on GPS (Global Positioning System) to provide precise location and timing information worldwide. Modern cockpits have become so dependent on satellite navigation that GPS now controls everything, whether it’s about flight management computers or communication timing systems. But what happens exactly when GPS outages strike?
The answer is unsettling. GPS outages can ripple through every aspect of flight operations. Navigation displays may no longer be reliable, timing systems lose synchronization, and pilots are forced to switch rapidly to older tools while managing an increased workload and heightened safety risks.
In 2024, GPS interference surged in conflict-prone regions, with the Dutch Bureau of Aviation Investigation logging 983 spoofing incidents in ten months, up from 163 in 2023. The Middle East was hit hardest, with over 43,000 events between January and April, including nearly 28,000 near Beirut and 14,000 near Cairo. Other persistent hotspots include the Balkans, Eastern Mediterranean, Black Sea, and the India–Pakistan border, making these areas some of the most contested for civil aviation navigation.
The scale of the problem highlights a pressing truth: aviation cannot rely on GPS alone. The industry now needs navigation systems that are not only redundant but resilient and can adapt and operate even in contested skies. This demand is driving a new generation of innovations designed to keep aircraft safe when the satellite link is gone.

Why GPS Alone Isn’t Enough
The mathematics of GPS vulnerability is sobering. By the time a satellite signal travels from space to your aircraft, it carries roughly the same power as a 25-watt light bulb viewed from 10,000 miles away. This inherent weakness makes GPS signals susceptible to interference.
Jamming attacks flood the radio spectrum with noise, thus effectively drowning out legitimate satellite signals. Meanwhile, spoofing broadcasts fake GPS signals that can gradually lead aircraft off course without triggering any alarms. A truck driver with a cheap GPS jammer can inadvertently disrupt aircraft navigation across an entire airport approach corridor. Sounds alarming, doesn’t it?
For pilots operating under Instrument Flight Rules, GPS outages create immediate operational challenges as modern cockpits depend entirely on GPS-derived situational awareness. The psychological impact is equally concerning. Many younger pilots have never experienced extended flight operations without satellite navigation, which can lead to spatial disorientation when the familiar moving map display disappears.

What Keeps Flights Safe During GPS Outages
The challenge today is that aviation threats have become more serious and bigger than ever. Electronic warfare capabilities can deny GPS over entire regions, and spoofing can mislead aircraft in ways that traditional backups may not detect.
This has prompted the industry to explore integrated navigation solutions that are lighter, more resilient, and capable of adapting in real-time. Recently, for example, Safran, an aviation company, recognised the growing risk of GPS interference and how it can disrupt GNSS receivers, and as a result, it has developed the Skylight Receiver.
This dual civil/military GNSS receiver brings modular capabilities for Galileo and GPS, which means it can communicate with different groups of satellites around the world, as well as encrypted signals, all in one package. Most importantly, Skylight comes equipped with anti-jamming and anti-spoofing algorithms to protect against GPS outages.
Other innovations are following the same principle: combining inertial navigation, multiple GNSS constellations, and secure timing sources to create smarter PNT solutions. These are not simply backups but systems designed to continue working uninterruptedly in the face of interference.
Smarter doesn’t only mean more features; it means more trust and reliability for pilots and airframers alike.

The Bigger Picture: Resilience in a Contested World
GNSS threats are on the rise globally, with particular hotspots in regions such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Both civil and defence aviation require systems that can operate smoothly across contested and safe airspace, and this is where modern navigation solutions are stepping in.
Through the help of civil-certified GPS channels alongside encrypted military signals such as PRS and M-Code, modern GNSS systems create a stronger, more adaptable foundation for aviation. More importantly, the integration of these technologies provides both accurate positioning and navigation, as well as trusted timing, which is vital for next-generation aircraft and communication networks.
In short, the industry is taking clear steps to future-proof aviation against the growing risk of GNSS disruption.

Final Thoughts
In the event of GPS outages, pilots turn to backups. What’s changing today is that those backups are smarter, lighter, and better integrated than ever before. The goal is not just to have a safety net but to guarantee continuity of navigation and timing even when GPS is compromised.
As airspace grows more contested and threats more sophisticated, the future of aviation will depend heavily on integrated, resilient systems that pilots and airlines can trust everywhere they fly.
For pilots, it means confidence. For airframers, it means flexibility. And for the aviation industry as a whole, it means smarter skies, even when GPS fails.

Old-School Backups Modern Pilots Still Use

Before GPS, aviation relied on a variety of systems that continue to serve as safeguards today:

• Inertial Navigation Systems (INS): Using gyroscopes and accelerometers, INS calculates position independently of external signals, making it immune to jamming and spoofing. While accurate for a limited time, it can drift over longer flights, so it is often used as a bridge during GPS outages.
• Ground-Based Aids: Networks such as VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) and DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) provide bearing and distance information, while ILS (Instrument Landing System) supports safe landings in poor visibility. These operate at higher power levels than GPS, making them harder to disrupt.
• Flight management systems typically integrate several of these tools, automatically switching between sources depending on availability. While this redundancy keeps flights safe, it can also add weight, complexity, and maintenance costs.

What aviation desperately needs are integrated solutions that not only provide backup capability but also actively enhance navigation resilience against 21st-century threats.