GPS jamming disrupted a Norwegian landing as governments and firms seek fixes

In September 2025 a Widerøe Airlines flight aborted a landing at Vardø, in Norway’s far eastern Finnmark region, after GPS systems failed amid heavy interference during a nearby military exercise nicknamed Zapad-2025. European officials suspected Russian forces were using equipment to jam GPS signals; Russia has denied some allegations of GPS interference in the past.

GPS disruption has increased in Finnmark since the invasion of Ukraine and occurs globally in hotspots such as Myanmar, the Black Sea and southern Texas. Militaries are major users of jamming and spoofing, but cheaper consumer equipment has also enabled misuse by civilians—examples in the source material include truck drivers falsifying deliveries and players spoofing location-based games like Pokémon GO.

The underlying vulnerability stems from GPS receivers needing weak satellite signals; those signals can be jammed by stronger local broadcasts or spoofed with fake signals that give incorrect time or location. The U.S. and other agencies are pursuing upgrades and alternatives. The GPS modernization program has added encrypted and higher-power signals at a cost of at least $22 billion, the U.S.

military requested $1.5 billion in 2025 for more resilient position, navigation and timing programs, and the Department of Transportation awarded $5 million in October 2025 to five companies to demonstrate complementary technologies.

Key Topics

Tech, Gps, Vardø, Widerøe Airlines, Trustpoint