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Sam Benzacar of Anatech Electronics, an RF and microwave filter company, has published
his June 2022 newsletter that features his short op-ed entitled "The Very Real Vulnerabilities
of GPS," where he discusses the inherent vulnerabilities of using the satellite-based
system as a primary Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) reference. The
Achilles' Heel is how
easily the signal can be overwhelmed and/or spoofed with local transmitters. Alternative
technologies are being researched and developed, including highly accurate and robust
inertial references, but to date none are as precise as GPS. In time, though, a
solution will be found. Necessity is the mother of invention, as the saying goes.
Also mentioned are private networks on the upswing, the fast-growing phased-array
radar market, Starlink no longer being alone, and Dish and Space X duking it
out.
A Word from Sam Benzacar
The Very Real Vulnerabilities of GPS
 By Sam Benzacar
Since the GPS satellite constellation was first deployed it's become an integral
part of our lives. It's also the core, Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT)
solution used by the Department of Defense, which is more than a little unsettling
because it is inherently vulnerable to techniques designed to either degrade or
destroy its performance. Even more unsettling is that these techniques are already
being used by Russia and China and will only become more effective over time.
For example, a Ukrainian military official told the U.S. in 2020 that Russia
had successfully jammed its GPS capabilities and congressional defense task force
warned that same year that GPS could be a single point of failure for the U.S. military
and that we have not kept pace with our adversaries. That said, defense PNT technologies
have advanced over the years to make them more robust in the face of interference
and jamming.
 However, electromagnetic effects are not the
only way GPS can be disrupted as PNT data can be falsified and "spoofed" and it's
not fantasy to imagine that the spacecraft themselves can be attacked by other spacecraft.
In short, no matter how much GPS is improved, it remains a single point of failure.
Adversary countries are also developing cyber capabilities, directed energy weapons,
ground-based antisatellite missiles, and other capabilities that potentially damage,
or destroy U.S. satellites. Given its ubiquity, the failure, malfunction, jamming,
or spoofing of GPS signals or equipment could disrupt aircraft, ships, munitions,
land vehicles, and ground troops in military operations and conflicts.
To remedy this, DOD is pursuing alternative PNT technologies that are not dependent
on GPS signals being continuously available. These alternatives consist of sensors
designed to provide relative PNT information and external sources to provide absolute
positioning and navigation. Relative PNT includes inertial sensors and clocks to
allow a platform to track its position and keep track of time without an external
signal.
However, this approach requires another PNT technology to correct errors that
accumulate over time. Absolute PNT technologies allow a platform to use external
sources of information, including celestial and magnetic navigation very low frequencies
or low Earth orbit satellites to transmit information.
DoD plans to keep GPS at the core of its PNT capabilities, using these alternatives
when possible. The question, of course, is how long it will take for these alternative
technologies to be deployed, and whether they will be effective in the face of the
onslaughts from adversaries. Unfortunately, there's really no way to make this determination
in peacetime, so let's hope DoD's current (and substantial) efforts to protect its
PNT capabilities prove up to the task.
 Private Network on the Upswing
A report from the Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) notes that at least
794 organizations in 68 countries are deploying private mobile networks based on
LTE or 5G. And although LTE is still the most favored technology, the report states
that 5G is being used by around 37% of customers tracked in its study. The association
also identified more than 70 telecom network operators providing private mobile
network services. The manufacturing sector is the largest adopter with 140 companies
involved in pilots or deployments, which is an increase from 111 at the end of 2021.
The education sector is the second most-common group, with 80 customer deployments,
followed by mining companies (69) and power utility companies (68).
 Phased-Array Radar Market Growing Fast
The electronically scanned array market was about $7.4 billion in 2021 and is
projected to reach $10.4 billion by 2026 with growth rate of 7.1% from 2021 to 2026,
according to a report from ResarchandMarkets. Growth is attributed to advances in
electronically scanned arrays and 4D arrays that determine the range, azimuth, height,
and velocity vector of an object. As they are expensive, they are most widely used
when high-resolution signals are required, and the U.S. and Germany have invested
heavily to advance the technology.
 Starlink Is No Longer Alone
Two Chinese space startups recently launched low Earth orbit satellites in the
country's efforts to create satellite constellations to challenge Starlink. Competitors
like U.K.-based OneWeb and Amazon's Kuiper project have been joined by two startups
from China. Early this month, a Chinese rocket launched nine satellites into low
Earth orbit LEO) made by Geespace, a subsidiary of Chinese auto giant Geely, which
owns Volvo and has a joint venture with Mercedes. In March, another Chinese company,
GalaxySpace, launched six satellites in an experimental network. Geespace plans
to build a constellation of just 240 satellites compared to Starlink's 3,000 and
be mainly used to help Geely receive and transmit data for autonomous driving. However,
the company doesn't rule out employing the constellation for other uses in the future.
Dish and Space X Duke It Out
Dish Network, which has showed off how it can offer 5G to 20% of the U.S. population,
is combatting new allegations from SpaceX over the 12 GHz band, a situation that
has beenongoing for more than a year. Most recently, SpaceX accused Dish of meddling
in its attempt to help people in Ukraine. Dish criticizes SpaceX CEO Elon Musk for
responding to the Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister's request for ideas to keep Starklink's
services online in Ukraine. Musk then responded by noting that "While one can hope
that Dish made this condemnation in error, these tactics nonetheless highlight the
lengths to which Dish will go so long as the commission inexplicably leaves the
12 GHz proceeding open." Dish says SpaceX has been encouraging Starlink users to
operate their terminals when moving on planes, boats and recreational vehicles,
which it says is against the law in the U.S.
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About Anatech Electronics
Anatech Electronics, Inc. (AEI) specializes in the design and manufacture of
standard and custom RF and microwave filters and other passive components and subsystems
employed in commercial, industrial, and aerospace and applications. Products are
available from an operating frequency range of 10 kHz to 30 GHz and include cavity,
ceramic, crystal, LC, and surface acoustic wave (SAW), as well as power combiners/dividers,
duplexers and diplexers, directional couplers, terminations, attenuators, circulators,
EMI filters, and lightning arrestors. The company's custom products and capabilities
are available at www.anatechelectronics.com.
Contact:
Anatech Electronics, Inc.
70 Outwater Lane
Garfield, NJ 07026
(973) 772-4242
sales@anatechelectronics.com
Posted June 16, 2022
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