Washington: Plane Tracking Satellites Can Be Jammed

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CNN

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The satellite system that the Federal Aviation Administration is counting on to help planes arrive on time can be blocked or jammed, a new government report says.

The report by the Transportation Department's Volpe National Transportation Systems Center said that the signal from the satellites, known as GPS or Global Positioning System, could be blocked by buildings or interference from other transmissions.

In addition, the signals could be jammed or the satellites could be attacked, though the report calls the last scenario "highly unlikely."

The report warned: "As GPS further penetrates into the civil infrastructure, it becomes a tempting target that could be exploited by individuals, groups or countries hostile to the United States."

The use of the satellites is part of the FAA's $11.5 billion plan to allow more planes to land, take off and fly from place to place.

Michael Shaw, director of radio navigation and positioning for the Transportation Department, said the FAA will be able to proceed with its plans for reducing delays.

"The use of satellite navigation is going to bring effectiveness to the national airspace," Shaw said. "There are some vulnerabilities but there are some tremendous benefits. We have to balance both."

Because of the potential problems, the FAA will have to keep its existing tracking systems as a backup. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta has asked all the department's agencies to report to him in 60 days with their plans for backup systems, Shaw said.

The FAA's plan to reduce delays does not rely on untested new technology but makes changes in the current air traffic control system. The plan also calls for giving pilots and controllers more freedom to route planes through the sky, rather than following fixed paths, and allowing planes to fly closer together than the current 2,000 feet.

While fewer planes have been delayed this year as compared with 2000, one in five flights still arrives at least 15 minutes behind schedule.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), September 14, 2001


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