NBAA and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) are expressing concerns that operators are continuing to face issues with intentional GPS jamming exercises and have asked the U.S Department of Defense (DOD) and FAA to provide an update on efforts to mitigate those instances.

In a joint letter to the government agencies, the associations acknowledge the need for the DOD to simulate a loss of GPS for training, maintenance, and support efforts. But, they worry, “the National Airspace System (NAS) has become increasingly reliant on GPS as the primary source of navigation and aircraft system functionality while reducing the ground-based navigational backup infrastructure.”

In response to concerns about this dynamic, the RTCA Tactical Operations Committee evaluated the operational impacts of intentional GPS interference and submitted a report in March 2018 with two dozen recommendations to help minimize these events, the associations noted. But the agencies have yet to detail any such efforts to minimize the impacts, they said. “Both the frequency and impacts of these events have continued to grow significantly over the past decade and will continue to proliferate over time.”

This is been a problem even with the reduced operations over the past year. “In recent months, operators have continued to report operational impacts and reduced access to airspace and airports resulting from intentional GPS jamming events,” they said.