By Sam Burgiss, Exovera, Director of Product Strategy
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Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) undergird nearly every military movement with precise positioning and timing. This heavy reliance has given rise to navigation warfare — a specialized but increasingly vital domain within electromagnetic warfare. According to the U.S. Naval Institute, navigation warfare involves deliberate defensive and offensive measures to ensure that PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) signals remain trustworthy across space, cyberspace, and the electromagnetic spectrum.
The stakes are rising as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) proliferate, including swarms of drones that operate in coordinated flights. These machines lean on GNSS signals for navigation and targeting, making them vulnerable in any high-tech conflict. In contested environments, an adversary can jam or spoof satellite signals, diverting drones off course or neutralizing them mid-air. The war in Ukraine has offered a stark example: Russian electronic-warfare units have severed Ukrainian drones’ satellite links, at times crippling entire fleets in real time.
Navigation warfare has evolved to encompass three interlocking objectives:
- Offensive disruption of an adversary’s GNSS
- Contingency planning for operating in denied or degraded environments
- Protection and hardening of one’s own positioning, navigation, and timing systems against similar threats
For China, navigation warfare is emerging as a strategic priority. Beijing has invested heavily in anti-satellite weapons and advanced electronic jammers, reflecting its intent to undercut America’s dependence on space-based services. The following sections examine a selection of China’s recent military procurements and developments in this arena, offering a glimpse of the technologies, doctrines and ambitions driving Beijing’s approach to modern navigation warfare.
Procurement of Drone Detection and Disruption Equipment
On December 23, 2024, a procurement announcement by China’s military details the intention to acquire communication satellite supporting equipment. The procurement project includes three main components: drone detection equipment, omnidirectional jamming equipment, and a customized system platform. The drone detection equipment is designed to detect drones within a frequency range of 100 MHz to 6 GHz, with a detection radius of 3 km to 5 km, and a horizontal detection angle of 0° to 360°. The omnidirectional jamming equipment is intended to interfere with drone flights within specific frequency bands — 830-930 MHz, 1170-1280 MHz, 1550-1610 MHz, 2400-2484 MHz, and 5725-5850 MHz — with a jamming distance of at least 1 km or 0.62 miles without significant obstructions.
The specified frequency bands and the corresponding GNSS signals that would be affected, including the designated bands of each GNSS system, are as follows.
- 1170-1280 MHz: GPS (L5, L2), Galileo (E5a, E5b, E6), GLONASS (L2, L3), BeiDou (B2a, B2b, B3), QZSS (L5, L6), NavIC (L5)
- 1550-1610 MHz: GPS (L1), Galileo (E1), GLONASS (L1), BeiDou (B1, B1C), QZSS (L1)
- GPS (L1), Galileo (E1), GLONASS (L1), BeiDou (B1I, B1C), QZSS (L1)
- 2400-2484 MHz: NavIC (S-band at 2492 MHz, close to the upper end of this range)
The customized system platform will include various functional modules such as situation statistics, real-time dynamics, historical playback, and basic data. This platform aims to detect and provide early warnings for drone activities, track real-time flight paths, and manage drone flight data. Additionally, the procurement includes a CPU server with specific hardware requirements.
The expected budget for this project is ¥2M RMB or approximately $275,000 USD.
Procurement Announcement: Satellite Navigation Interference Monitoring
On December 20, 2024, China’s military published an announcement regarding the procurement of a suite of ground-based aviation radio navigation equipment with an expected procurement timeframe of March 2025. This system is designed to support a satellite navigation interference source monitoring and positioning platform. It comprises fixed, mobile, airborne, and portable devices for identifying interference sources, along with associated communication and power supply units.
According to technical documentation, the intended capabilities include detecting, tracking, and locating any signals that could interfere with satellite navigation. The equipment is specifically aimed at improving the quality of teaching.
The budget for this procurement is approximately ¥5.65 million RMB (around $775,000 USD)
Procurement Announcement: Drone Swarm Testing in Signal-Denied Environments
On November 13, 2024, China’s military made a procurement announcement for the provision of drone formation testing services in environments where satellite signals are denied. The project, identified by the number 2024-JLZJBK-2KF4011, is part of a key research initiative focusing on bionic drone navigation and positioning technology. The aim is to test and validate the capabilities of drone swarms to achieve high-precision positioning and control solely through inter-drone communication, without relying on external timing or navigation systems.
Specific requirements for this project include:
- Develop UAV ground station simulation software, support simulation scale of no less than 100 aircraft, and support joint verification of UAV formation physical and software simulation
- Develop UAV airborne three-network integration software, support fusion switching verification of visual navigation data, radio test data, and MEMS data
- Provide UAV GPS, vision/ranging different positioning mode switching function software integration, applicable to the provided UAV platform provided, and support cluster scale of no less than 20 aircraft
- Provide UAV formation control function software integration, applicable to the provided UAV platform
- Measure the required test data, including but not limited to UAV position, GPS information, visual positioning information, communication ranging module positioning information, and provide a detailed description of the formation test situation
The procurement outlines stringent qualification criteria for bidders, including the need for independent legal status, good financial standing, and specific certifications such as a drone operation license. The project excludes joint bids and mandates that bidders must not be foreign-controlled entities.
Satellite Navigation Jamming Detection and Location System
On September 23, 2024, China’s military posted an intent to procure a satellite navigation jamming source air-ground coordinated detection and positioning system. The system, as detailed in the notice, integrates multiple components, including fixed (ground), airborne, and portable monitoring stations designed to detect, locate, and analyze satellite navigation jamming sources.
On September 23, 2024, China’s military announced its intention to procure a multi-layered Satellite Navigation Jamming Source Air-Ground Coordinated Detection and Positioning System. This integrated setup features fixed ground stations, airborne monitoring platforms, and portable field units, all working in concert to detect, locate, and analyze potential jamming threats to Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) — including the frequency bands associated with multiple GNSS constellations. By using air-ground coordination, the system aims to provide real-time spectrum monitoring, precise signal identification, and rapid response to both deceptive (spoofing) and suppressive jamming.
The technical specifications highlight an emphasis on multi-layered interference detection with an extensive frequency monitoring range of 1.0 GHz to 3.0 GHz, paying special attention to the L-band and S-band frequencies commonly used by military and civilian satellite navigation systems. Deception-based jamming must be detected within 60 seconds, while suppressive jamming must be identified within 3 seconds. Additionally, the system seeks a signal identification accuracy above 90% and a false alarm rate below 10%.
The airborne component of the system is required to support a greater than 30-minute endurance and operations in wind speeds up to Level 7, making it viable for deployment in high-altitude and maritime environments. The fixed equipment is expected to track 30 or more deceptive satellite signals. Fixed and mobile stations provide high-precision direction finding, with angular measurement errors ranging from 3° to 10°, enabling robust localization of jamming sources under different operational scenarios.
The budget for this procurement is listed at ¥5.65M RMB, roughly $785,000 USD at current exchange rates.
Award Announcement: Satellite Navigation Interference and Location Spoofing Test System
On April 25, 2024, the Shenyang Aircraft Design Institute of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a large state-owned defense and civilian aerospace conglomerate, announced the winning bidder for the Satellite Navigation Interference and Position Deception Testing System project. The project’s objective is to develop a system capable of testing and countering interference and deceptive signals in satellite navigation, ensuring the integrity and reliability of navigation capabilities.
The domestic open tender was initially published on March 27, 2024. The contract was awarded to the 20th Research Institute of China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, selected based on their technical expertise and ability to meet project requirements. The announcement emphasized the importance of technological collaboration and resource integration in enhancing China’s satellite navigation defense capabilities.
The total budget for the Satellite Navigation Interference and Position Deception Testing System is ¥8.5 million RMB (approximately $1.2 million USD).
Procurement Results: Interference Signal Generator and Interference Bandwidth Module
On March 25, 2024, an announcement was made by the Chinese military on the procurement results for a broadband interference signal generator and interference bandwidth modulation module. The procurement process concluded with the selection of Chengdu Hewei Times Technology Co., Ltd. as the winning supplier.
Top three suppliers ranked by evaluation:
- Chengdu Hewei Times Technology Co., Ltd.: Winning bidder, contract awarded at ¥400,000 RMB or approximately $55,000 USD
- Chuangyuan Xinke (Shanghai) Technology Co., Ltd.: Second place, bid amount ¥486,000 RMB.
- Wuhan Xinshilian Technology Co., Ltd.: Third place, bid amount ¥560,000 RMB.
Conclusion
China’s recent procurement activities highlight a focus on enhancing electronic warfare capabilities, particularly in the realm of navigation warfare. The acquisition of jamming detection systems, drone disruption technology, and GNSS interference testing platforms underscores a commitment to countering space-based navigation reliance while developing robust alternatives.
