In March, a plane transporting UK defence minister Grant Shapps to Poland had its GPS signal jammed as it flew near Russian territory.
While the disruption forced the plane to use alternative ways to navigate for over half an hour, the British aircraft was most likely not the intended target. Russia regularly jams satellite signals to disrupt enemy equipment — from drones to tanks. These attacks often spill over to other GPS users in the area, including commercial aircraft.
The UK government is responding to this rising threat by building a massive anti-jamming facility in Wiltshire, it announced today. The “silent hangar” will create an echo-free environment to test how well Britain's military equipment stands up against GPS jamming.
GPS jammers work by emitting radio waves at the same frequency as GPS signals, preventing geolocated devices — from drones to tanks — from accurately determining their location. It's a tactic used against all manner of military equipment on battlegrounds across the world.
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Maria Eagle, minister for defence procurement and industry, said the test facility would “keep our armed forces better protected” amid the “increasingly common hostile threat” of GPS jamming.
Set to open in 2026, the facility will be one of Europe's largest anechoic chambers — large enough to test some of the military's largest assets, including Chinook helicopters, Protector drones, fighter jets, and armoured vehicles.
An anechoic chamber is a specially designed room — or in this case an aircraft hangar — that is completely echo-free. These spaces are the most silent places on Earth.
The silent hangar creates the perfect environment to simulate GPS jamming without disrupting GPS signals on the outside, such as the emergency services and air traffic control.
The government has awarded British defence contractor QinetiQ £20mn (€23mn) to build the hangar.
In July, new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer ordered a review of the country's armed forces, which would see the UK increase defence spending to 2.5% of its GDP.