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| Australian Defence Dept. via AP |
Unidentified warships recently disrupted communications for both civilian and military flights over the South Pacific and near the Indian Ocean, and China’s navy is suspected of being behind the activity, Inside the Ring has learned.
The electronic interference included blocking aircraft from using the Global Navigation Satellite System, the networks of satellites that include GPS, Europe’s Galileo, Russia’s GLONASS and China’s BeiDou, and interfering with an electronic system to measure altitude called RADALT, for radar altimeter.
The IFALPA notice provided few details about the incidents, and a spokeswoman for the organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Pentagon spokesman John Supple said the military has no reports of “aircraft being inappropriately vectored in the region mentioned” in the notice. The incidents appeared to involve non-U.S. civilian aircraft and a foreign military plane that were contacted recently by radio from China’s navy and told to avoid overflying its warships, a defense source said.
U.S. warships as a rule do not engage in disrupting flight communications in peacetime.
The IFALPA notice said “some airlines and military aircraft” were being called over a specific radio frequency “by military warships” in the Pacific, including the South China Sea, the Philippine Sea and east of the Indian Ocean.
Some of the aircraft were given “vectors” that would take them around airspace over the calling warship. --->READ MORE HERE
Australian airline Qantas has warned its pilots about radio interference and GPS jamming coming from Chinese military vessels.
The airline said some of its planes have experienced interference on VHF channels "purporting to represent the Chinese military," in the South China Sea, The Guardian reported. The reported interference has not caused any safety issues and pilots were told to report such incidents to air traffic control.
The Australian and International Pilots Association president, and Qantas captain, Tony Lucas, released a statement last week saying interference had been detected.
"Our members are aware of recent reported communication and electronic interference," he said. "Qantas Group pilots are well trained and remain ready to manage these sorts of issues safely in accordance with defined procedures."
Earlier this month, the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations issued a statement confirming the interference.
"IFALPA has been made aware of some airlines and military aircraft being called over 121.50 or 123.45 by military warships in the Pacific region, notably South China Sea, Philippine Sea, East of Indian Ocean," the group said. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to related stories:
A Survey of Technologies and Capabilities on China’s Military Outposts in the South China Sea
Airline pilots warned about radio interference by Chinese military in South China Sea
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