To counter the possibility of jammed and “spoofed” signals, the authors of a U.S. Department of Transportation report on GPS vulnerability released on September 10 recommend that GPS not be relied upon as the sole source in critical applications, including precision approaches. As a backup, the authors said that an upgraded loran-C could play a significant part in the nation’s federal radionavigation system, but stressed that a prompt commitment to loran-C is required.
The report, produced by the DOT’s Volpe Transportation System Center in Cambridge, Mass., was the main topic of discussion at a public “outreach” meeting held at the FAA’s Washington headquarters on October 5. The meeting’s objective was to offer a public review of the document, to discuss its implications for future GPS use and to solicit industry comments, which would be assessed alongside studies requested from several government agencies by Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta. The results will be analyzed and presented at a follow-up public outreach meeting, planned for early next year.
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