KONGSBERG Tests Maritime Positioning Systems Against Real GNSS Jamming

KONGSBERG has tested the latest generation of its maritime positioning technology under real GNSS jamming and spoofing conditions at Jammertest 2026 in Andøya, northern Norway. The programme exposed several Dynamic Positioning reference-system configurations to deliberate interference, giving engineers field data that cannot be reproduced fully in laboratory testing.

Real interference replaces a purely laboratory test

KONGSBERG equipped a test vehicle with multiple configurations from its latest Dynamic Positioning reference-system product line. The setups combined different GNSS receivers with Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas, including the company’s own JRAS technology.

Across the test week, the systems were exposed to interference intended to degrade, deny or manipulate satellite-navigation signals. The purpose was not simply to record whether a system failed, but to understand how each configuration behaved as the signal environment became unreliable.

Jamming and spoofing present different navigation problems

GNSS jamming attempts to overwhelm or deny satellite signals, while spoofing can feed a receiver misleading positioning information. Both can create serious problems for vessels that depend heavily on satellite-derived position data for navigation, manoeuvring or station keeping.

KONGSBERG says realistic field trials add variables that controlled testing cannot reproduce easily. That gives its navigation specialists more evidence about how hardware, antennas and algorithms respond when interference is dynamic rather than predictable.

Dynamic Positioning is the immediate development focus

The company is analysing the Jammertest data to support further development of Dynamic Positioning reference systems. DP depends on reliable positional inputs, so resilience becomes especially important when a vessel must hold position precisely near infrastructure, in confined areas or during specialised operations.

Not every superyacht uses Dynamic Positioning, and the Andøya trials were broader maritime technology tests rather than a yacht programme. Even so, large yachts increasingly integrate sophisticated navigation and position-reference systems, making GNSS resilience a relevant engineering issue for bridge designers and operators.

Resilient navigation is becoming part of system design

KONGSBERG describes interference with satellite navigation as a growing global concern and says the value of Jammertest lies in exposing vulnerabilities before systems face them operationally. The event brings industry, authorities and researchers together in a controlled environment where deliberate interference can be studied safely.

For the superyacht sector, the wider lesson is that redundancy now needs to include the quality and trustworthiness of navigation data, not only duplicated displays or sensors. Testing how systems behave when GNSS is degraded can help designers build bridges that fail more predictably and recover more safely.

Official sources: www.kongsberg.com.