Key facts
- Chinese military scientists claim to have developed an algorithm to identify electronic warfare units using civil aviation flight data.
- The algorithm analyzed aircraft-tracking data from February 27 to April 10.
- Two suspected GPS spoofing sources were identified near northern Israel and the Gaza Strip.
- The findings have not been independently verified.
Chinese military scientists claim to have developed an algorithm capable of estimating the locations of electronic warfare units by analyzing civil aviation flight data. The study, published in the Journal of Geomatics Science and Technology, used 43 days of publicly available aircraft-tracking data to identify two suspected sources of GPS spoofing in the Mediterranean Sea during the conflict involving Iran, the United States, and Israel.
The researchers estimated that the two sources were operating in separate areas near northern Israel and the Gaza Strip, with positioning errors ranging from 10.9km to 18.9km. The algorithm identified target area 1 about 80km northwest of Haifa and target area 2 about 30km northwest of the Gaza Strip. The study proposed that these locations could be associated with different electronic countermeasures against unmanned aerial threats, such as Iran’s Shahed-136 drones.
The findings have not been independently verified, and the researchers did not explain why they focused on the Israeli military. The method requires no additional monitoring equipment and is low-cost and timely, providing technical support for civil aviation safety and situational awareness of spoofing interference in overseas conflict zones.