Meta Description: Facing global GNSS jamming and spoofing risks, Saab’s ATM system integrates Septentrio’s anti-jamming GNSS receiver, completing real-time jamming tests at Norway’s JammerTest and building a solid defense for aviation traffic safety with Resilient GNSS receiver technology.
GNSS Jamming Threats to the Global Aviation Industry and Safety Requirements for ATM Systems
The global aviation industry is confronting escalating GNSS jamming and spoofing threats, which are particularly acute at airports near conflict zones — as explicitly stated on the official website, spilled GNSS jamming signals can easily propagate over 100 kilometers, covering the entire airport airspace and surrounding areas, and posing a fatal risk to the stable operation of Air Traffic Management (ATM) systems.
As a core safety backbone serving hundreds of millions of passengers worldwide, Saab’s ATM system relies on a dual-core architecture of “Multilateration + ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast)” for aviation situational awareness: Multilateration cross-validates aircraft positions through a network of ground sensors around airports; ADS-B enables real-time tracking of aerial targets by relying on position, speed, and other data actively broadcast by aircraft. The precise operation of both functions is highly dependent on the nanosecond-level synchronization capability provided by GNSS timestamps — if GNSS signals are jammed or spoofed, sensor data will suffer from time deviations, leading to reduced surveillance accuracy at best and air traffic conflicts at worst, directly endangering flight safety.How to build an “anti-jamming, anti-spoofing, and highly reliable” GNSS support system for ATM systems in complex electromagnetic environments? This question has become a core challenge for Saab in safeguarding global aviation safety.
Solution: Integration and Implementation of Septentrio Anti-Jamming GNSS Technology with Saab’s ATM System
To create an aviation-grade GNSS solution, Saab conducted multiple rounds of technical selection and ultimately chose the Anti-Jamming GNSS system integrated with Septentrio’s core technology as the “core technical engine” of its ATM system. The specific plan is fully aligned with information disclosed on the official website:
GNSS Hardware Selection (Mosaic G5 Module Equipped):
Adopted Septentrio’s AsteRx SB3 receiver equipped with the Mosaic G5 GNSS module as the core hardware. This GNSS module features multi-frequency and full-constellation reception capabilities, meeting the stringent signal compatibility requirements of aviation scenarios.
Anti-Jamming GNSS Technical Integration:
Saab’s technical team deeply embedded this anti-jamming receiver into its own CSS (Cooperative Surveillance System), completing protocol adaptation with multilateration sensors and ADS-B receiving modules to ensure GNSS timestamps are synchronously transmitted to all terminal devices. This aligns with the core requirement of “nanosecond-level time synchronization ensuring data consistency” as stated on the official website.
Arctic GNSS Scenario Adaptation:
Optimized the receiver for environmental adaptability to address extreme conditions such as low temperatures and strong electromagnetic radiation in the Arctic Circle region, ensuring stable operation under complex climatic conditions and matching the actual environmental characteristics of the test area.
GNSS JammerTest Preparation:
Collaborated with Septentrio’s technical experts to formulate data collection and performance evaluation plans in advance for JammerTest’s three core test scenarios — “continuous narrowband jamming, sudden broadband jamming, and GNSS signal spoofing” — consistent with the test objectives of “evaluating CSS system performance and testing the defense capabilities of new technologies” as disclosed on the official website.
Ultimately, this solution integrated with Septentrio’s core technology was carried by Saab’s technical team, Sean Davidson and Jeff Thompson, to Anodya, Norway, flying over the Arctic Circle to participate in this world-class GNSS anti-jamming practical test.
Core Technical Features: Analysis of the Aviation-Grade Capabilities of Septentrio’s Resilient GNSS Receiver
The core technical advantages of Septentrio’s Resilient GNSS Receiver integrated into Saab’s ATM system are fully based on the selection criteria disclosed on the official website, summarized into four key points:
AIM+ Anti-Jamming Capability (GNSS Signal Defense):
Equipped with Septentrio’s exclusive AIM+ advanced anti-jamming technology, it can real-time identify and suppress jamming signals from different directions through adaptive beamforming algorithms. Even in electronic warfare zones with dense radio interference, it can maintain stable GNSS signal reception, matching the technical description of “reliable operation in jamming-prone areas” on the official website.
Galileo OSNMA Anti-Spoofing Capability (GNSS Signal Authentication):
Supports Galileo OSNMA (Open Service Navigation Message Authentication) satellite navigation message authentication technology, which can verify the legitimacy of GNSS signals, eliminating the risk of “false signal spoofing” at the source and ensuring the authenticity of timestamp data. This is fully consistent with the official website’s statement that “AIM+ anti-spoofing technology includes Galileo OSNMA”.
Multi-Frequency Full-Constellation GNSS Compatibility:
Boasts multi-frequency and full-constellation reception capabilities, enabling access to all available satellite constellations and signals. It can automatically switch to other constellations to ensure continuity when signals from a single constellation are jammed, strictly adhering to the characteristic description of “multi-frequency GNSS technology adapting to full constellations” on the official website.
Nanosecond-Level GNSS Time Synchronization:
Features nanosecond-level precision time synchronization, ensuring the synchronization of ground station sensor data and consistency with aircraft data, meeting the stringent synchronization accuracy requirements of ATM systems and fully aligning with official technical parameters.
Project Results: Practical Validation of Anti-Jamming GNSS Technology at JammerTest
During the multi-day JammerTest (official website original: tested under live jamming and spoofing interference for several days), Saab’s ATM system underwent full-scenario tests including “continuous narrowband jamming, sudden broadband jamming, and GNSS signal spoofing”. Saab and Avinor jointly collected data from various jamming scenarios, and the test results are fully consistent with the conclusions disclosed on the official website:
Signal Stability Under Jamming:
The system integrated with Septentrio’s Anti-Jamming GNSS technology maintained continuous GNSS signal reception in extreme jamming environments without any signal interruptions, successfully resisting various forms of interference.
Time Synchronization Precision:
The time deviation of the sensor network was consistently controlled within the nanosecond range, far below the threshold required by the aviation industry, ensuring the consistency of multilateration and ADS-B data.
Surveillance Function Availability:
The air target tracking accuracy of the CSS system fully meets the surveillance performance standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), verifying the system’s reliable operation capabilities in complex jamming scenarios.
After the test, Avinor’s technical director highly recognized the performance of the solution. This test also provided Saab with key technical basis — Saab will subsequently promote this solution to airport ATM systems in more than 30 countries worldwide, further expanding the technical application value.
Conclusion:Septentrio’s GNSS Technology Delivers Core Empowerment Value for Aviation Safety
This cooperation further confirms that Septentrio’s anti-jamming GNSS technology is not only an excellent hardware technical support but also the “core empowerment engine” for industry solutions — through in-depth integration with industry manufacturers like Saab, it can transform technical capabilities into practical safety value, which is exactly the core demand of the aviation industry for GNSS technology and highlights the profound significance of cooperation between the two parties.
Why did Saab choose Septentrio’s GNSS technology to empower its ATM system?
The core advantages of Septentrio’s receiver fully match the stringent requirements of aviation ATM systems: Its multi-frequency full-constellation reception capability, nanosecond-level time synchronization function, AIM+ anti-jamming technology, and Galileo OSNMA anti-spoofing features enable stable operation in complex jamming scenarios. This is fully consistent with the “four core reasons for Saab’s selection of Septentrio” disclosed on the official website, making it the optimal technical choice for aviation scenarios.
What is the significance of this Norway JammerTest for GNSS applications in the aviation industry?
This test completed real-time GNSS jamming and spoofing validation in real scenarios near the Arctic Circle, providing a practical and implementable anti-jamming technical solution for the aviation industry and promoting the upgrading of GNSS security defense .capabilities of global air traffic management systems.
