Collaborative Solutions for Interference Management in GNSS-Based Aircraft Navigation.

Mario Nicola,Emanuela Falletti,Alberto De La Fuente,Gianluca Falco,Elena-Simona Lohan,Ruben Morales Ferre

doi:10.3390/s20154085

Abstract

Nowadays, the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) technology is not the primary means of navigation for civil aviation and Air Traffic Control, but its role is increasing. Consequently, the vulnerabilities of GNSSs to Radio Frequency Interference, including the dangerous intentional sources of interference (i.e., jamming and spoofing), raise concerns and special attention also in the aviation field. This panorama urges for figuring out effective solutions able to cope with GNSS interference and preserve safety of operations. In the frame of a Single European Sky Air traffic management Research (SESAR) Exploratory Research initiative, a novel, effective, and affordable concept of GNSS interference management for civil aviation has been developed. This new interference management concept is able to raise early warnings to the on-board navigation system about the detection of interfering signals and their classification, and then to estimate the Direction of Arrival (DoA) of the source of interference allowing the adoption of appropriate countermeasures against the individuated source. This paper describes the interference management concept and presents the on-field tests which allowed for assessing the reached level of performance and confirmed the applicability of this approach to the aviation applications.

Highlights

Introduction and State of the ArtCivil aviation and Air Traffic Control (ATC) are deeply tied to localization and navigation systems
This paper presented a new interference management concept able to detect the presence of an intentional interference on the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals and locate its source
This interference management concept is mainly addressed to aviation applications, where the role of GNSS in the ATC is increasing and the safety risks related to jamming and spoofing attacks raise concerns and special attention

Summary

Introduction

Civil aviation and Air Traffic Control (ATC) are deeply tied to localization and navigation systems. Such systems are based on several technologies installed either on board or on the ground, including radio-beacons, RADAR, magnetic compasses, inertial navigation systems, and satellite positioning systems [1]. Wide-Area or Satellite-Based Augmentation Systems (WAAS, SBAS) to offer improved localization accuracy and an integrity framework to cope with flight-mode-dependent safety requirements [2]. Continuous and accurate location of aircraft in the most crowded areas will enable safe and smart routing, collision avoidance, and fast emergency response; Sensors 2020, 20, 4085; doi:10.3390/s20154085 www.mdpi.com/journal/sensors

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