India (Washington Insider Magazine)—A technique reportedly used by Israel to counter Iran’s missile attacks may have a historical parallel in India’s past military operations. In a move designed to disrupt Iran’s missile targeting systems ahead of its first-ever direct attack on Israel, Israeli intelligence is said to have jammed GPS signals, confusing Tehran’s missile navigation teams. This technique, which degrades or jams GPS navigation, has been used to reduce the accuracy of enemy missiles and drones, which often rely on GPS for guidance.
The strategy mirrors an incident during the 1999 Kargil War, where India sought GPS data to navigate operations in the conflict with Pakistan. However, the US denied this request, reportedly hindering India’s military effectiveness by using selective availability technology to degrade GPS signals. This action, as per reports, had a significant impact on Indian military operations. The US Department of Defense had used selective availability to ensure that military GPS accuracy was restricted to its own forces, leaving adversaries, like India, with less precise data.
The Kargil incident led to India developing its own independent satellite navigation system, NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation), created by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This system provides accurate and secure navigation services for strategic and civilian uses within India and surrounding regions.
In Israel’s case, ahead of the Iranian attack, GPS signals were reportedly scrambled, with Israeli residents experiencing location errors, such as being shown in Cairo or Beirut. The result was intended to throw off Iran’s missile guidance systems. While the majority of the over 300 Iranian projectiles were intercepted by Israel’s air defense and allied forces, only a few reached Israeli territory, causing no casualties.
Iran’s missiles and drones, equipped with Russia’s GLONASS system as a GPS alternative, were still partially neutralized. However, GLONASS is less accurate than GPS, illustrating the challenges adversaries face when their navigation systems are disrupted.