Bulgarian authorities have located and neutralized a powerful source of GPS interference in Sofia. The device’s coverage area included the airport zone, aircraft flying over the capital, and television towers, but there is no official evidence to suggest that it was used to deliberately target aviation or critical infrastructure.
The powerful GPS jamming device, capable of disrupting satellite navigation signals in various areas of Sofia, was located and neutralized in the Dragalevtsi neighborhood of the capital, as part of a joint operation involving the State Agency for National Security, the Communications Regulation Commission, and the State Security Service of the Ministry of the Interior, as reported by Novinite.
According to the State Agency for National Security, the device was blocking GPS frequencies in Sofia, affecting even the area around Vasil Levski Airport, aircraft flying over the capital, and television towers.
Representatives of Sofia Airport, however, stated that operations were not affected and flights proceeded as scheduled. Bulgarian National Radio reported recent issues related to GPS signals affecting aircraft during takeoff and landing at Sofia Airport, although publicly available information does not confirm that these disruptions were caused by the device found in Dragalevtsi.
The discovery has raised concerns about the potential impact of GPS interference on aviation and other critical systems that rely on satellite positioning and synchronization.
Currently, there is no public evidence to suggest that the device caused disruptions to critical infrastructure. Its exact range and technical characteristics have not been disclosed, as mentioned by the cited source.
Authorities have not announced who owned or operated the jamming device, how long it had been active, or for what purpose it was used.
Milen Ivanov, former vice-rector of the Ministry of the Interior Academy, stated that a possible explanation for the device's existence could be the protection it provided against drone attacks. According to him, the device's characteristics could correspond to a scenario in which certain individuals wanted to prevent precise drone operations in the area.
T.D.