GPS jamming during upcoming Red Flag 19-2


Message posted by Joerg (Webmaster) on March 06, 2019 at 18:21:11 PST:

A pilot friend sent me this FAA advisory about GPS jamming during the upcoming Red Flag 19-2:

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"The FAA has issued a Flight Advisory, warning operators in and around the Nevada Test and Training Range region to be cautious and maintain awareness of GPS reliability during a testing period between March 9-23, 2019.

Intermittent GPS testing will take place during the above dates and may result in an unreliable or unavailable GPS signal (including WAAS, GBAS, and ADS-B) within a 379 nautical mile radius of N371416 W1155125 or the BTY VOR 046 degree radial at 50NM.

Dates and times for the testing periods are listed in the advisories and pilots are advised to review the information, check NOTAMs frequently, and report any anomalies and GPS degradation to the appropriate Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Reference the links below for more information."

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Two things are interesting:

#1: The center is inside the restricted Area 51 air space, 2NM west of Area 51 near a paved road. This is likely where the jamming equipment will be located. The site was probably chosen because it is right smack in the center of the NTTR and surrounding MOAs. The date range coincides with Red Flag.

#2: The radius, 379NM, is a huge area, covering NV, CA, UT and AZ. Typically the real area depends on the altitude. The intensity of the jamming signal looks like a funnel, with a small area around the center on the ground and a large area at high altitude.

Those of our readers coming out for Red Flag, please be careful. You may not be able to rely on your GPS. This can be especially tricky near the boundary of the restricted area.


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