IRIA News

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NATO’s Communications and Information Agency (NCIA) has conducted a successful test for the prototype of a new sensor system, GANDALF-4, designed to detect and counter disruptions to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals.

The GANDALF (GNSS Advanced Navigation Detection and Localization Facility) system has been developed to specifically detect, classify, and locate deliberate interference with GNSS signals. Such disruptions, known as GNSS jamming and spoofing, have become a mounting concern for modern militaries, as adversaries employ more sophisticated techniques to compromise satellite-based navigation and timing services critical to NATO operations.

“These threats, known as GNSS jamming and spoofing, are becoming more common and sophisticated, posing a real threat to NATO’s operational readiness and resilience,” NCIA stated in a statement.

According to the agency, “GANDALF-4 represents a proactive and innovative approach to developing situational awareness in contested spectrum environments.” This proactive stance reflects NATO’s acknowledgment of the rapidly evolving landscape of electromagnetic warfare, where traditional defenses must be continuously updated to counter new and emerging threats.

Testing under controlled conditions

The recent series of tests focused specifically on the GANDALF-4’s antenna array, a critical component in detecting and locating GNSS signal disruptions.

To ensure the highest precision, the sensor was evaluated within an anechoic chamber, a specialized facility operated by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The chamber is engineered to block all external electromagnetic signals, creating an environment ideal for interference-free testing of antennas and sensors.

The controlled setting allowed for precise calibration and a thorough evaluation of the sensor’s accuracy and reliability. These measures are essential to verify that the GANDALF-4 can effectively operate in real-world, contested environments where electromagnetic noise and hostile actions could degrade performance.

Testing activities were a joint effort between the NCIA’s Electromagnetic Warfare and Surveillance team and the NSPA’s Ground-Based Defence experts. This collaboration underlines the complex nature of developing modern military technologies, where multi-disciplinary expertise is vital.

NATO emphasized the importance of such partnerships, noting that “advancing prototyping, testing, and trial preparation to accelerate the development of cutting-edge technologies demands technical expertise and tight inter-agency cooperation.”

Previous trials and field experience

The GANDALF-4 project builds on insights and experiences from previous field trials. In 2023, NATO experts participated in the Austrian Navigation Warfare trial, an event organized by the Austrian Ministry of Defense. This trial provided a rare opportunity for participants to deploy jammers and simulate intentional interference against terrestrial GNSS receivers and sensors.

As part of that exercise, NATO’s Joint Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Centre deployed and tested a variety of advanced GNSS jamming technologies. Notably, the trial included the first field test of the GANDALF-3 system, the predecessor to the current GANDALF-4 prototypes.

These earlier field exercises were critical for gathering operational data and identifying practical improvements, setting the foundation for the enhanced capabilities demonstrated by the GANDALF-4. By learning from live deployments, NATO is better positioned to develop sensors that can survive and perform reliably in the unpredictable and highly contested battlefields of the future.

Strategic implications

In numerous recent conflicts, jamming and spoofing have been used to degrade communications, disrupt command and control networks, and compromise precision-guided weapons. For military forces that rely heavily on GNSS for navigation, timing, and targeting, the ability to detect and locate these threats quickly is essential.

With GANDALF-4, NATO aims to increase situational awareness, provide early warning of electromagnetic attacks, and improve the resilience of its forces operating in degraded spectrum environments. The sensor is part of a broader shift within NATO to invest in capabilities that ensure freedom of maneuver and operational integrity even when traditional satellite support is compromised.

As the GANDALF-4 progresses through testing and refinement, it is expected to become an important element of NATO’s broader electromagnetic warfare and defense architecture. Future tests and eventual deployment of systems like GANDALF-4 will be critical for NATO to stay ahead in an era where control of the electromagnetic spectrum could be as decisive as control of land, air, or sea.