Authorities in Bulgaria have dismantled a GPS jammer that was strong enough to reach the capital’s airport and the aircraft overhead.
The device turned up in the Dragalevtsi district of Sofia during a joint operation by the State Agency for National Security, the Communications Regulation Commission and the Interior Ministry’s State Security Service. Its signal was suppressing GPS frequencies across the city, covering the approach to Vasil Levski Airport, passing aircraft and television towers, according to the security agency.
Airport operations never stopped; Sofia Airport said flights ran on schedule. Earlier in the month, Bulgarian National Radio had reported GPS trouble for planes arriving and departing the capital. Whether the Dragalevtsi device caused those episodes is not established.
Satellite navigation rests on signals so weak that a jammer broadcasting noise on the same frequencies can blind receivers over a wide area. The satellites themselves keep working; it is the ground and cockpit equipment that loses position and time.
Officials have not said who placed the device or how long it operated, and the investigation continues. The case is a reminder that cheap jamming hardware can reach sensitive airspace without any warning.
