Relentless Accuracy: How Anschütz Gyrocompasses Triumph Over Jamming and Spoofing Threats

Cutting-edge technologies and protective measures ensure safe navigation at all times.

In recent months and years, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has faced an increasing number of jamming and spoofing incidents worldwide. Interference and alteration of GNSS information can affect navigation accuracy and pose significant risks to global shipping and trade. In contrast, the gyrocompasses from Anschütz demonstrate exceptional resilience and longevity.

Incident reports from aircraft and vessels confirm the rise in jamming and spoofing, currently labeled as some of the most prominent threats to navigation. Affected regions include the Red Sea, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Black Sea, and increasingly, the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. Alongside other factors, clients are experiencing lost and unreliable GNSS signals exhibiting inconsistent behavior.

How do jamming and spoofing influence navigation?

In simple terms, jamming results in an unavailable GNSS signal, leading to a loss of latitude, longitude, Speed Over Ground (SOG), and Course Over Ground (COG) data. On the other hand, spoofing creates a misleading GNSS signal, thereby delivering incorrect latitude, longitude, SOG, and COG information.

Anschütz’s mechanical gyrocompass, the Standard 22 NX, operates reliably and independently of any external data source. The repercussions of jamming and spoofing on a Standard 22 NX gyrocompass are limited to the speed error correction value, which can vary by up to 2.5° in the worst-case scenario, yet remains less critical for most commercial applications. Heading data is constantly accessible, and measures exist to restore optimal accuracy within the Anschütz heading management system.

Strapdown gyrocompasses like Anschütz’s Standard 30 MF utilize angular rate sensors and accelerometers. Typically, strapdown compasses require speed and latitude inputs to differentiate between the vessel’s motion and the Earth’s rotation. However, the extent of erroneous inputs impacting heading computation is dependent on the manufacturer’s algorithms and the gyrocompass’s specifications.

The Standard 30 MF can operate without latitude input. This unique characteristic was rigorously evaluated on an offshore supply vessel and a Baltic Sea ferry, showing only minor heading deviations. The heading precision stays within the standards set by performance and testing metrics.

Additionally, spoofing involving larger positional shifts is automatically filtered out, while minor positional variations trigger an alert. As part of the Anschütz heading management system, provisions exist to function independently of GNSS systems for up to 28 days.

Reliably accessible heading data with Anschütz gyrocompasses

Thanks to their design, algorithms, and superior accuracy, both the Standard 22 NX and the Standard 30 MF prove trustworthy when facing jamming and spoofing threats. With the Standard 22 NX, only the speed error correction is affected minimally. The Standard 30 MF is extremely durable as it can function without positional data, and abrupt position changes do not immediately compromise the heading.

Furthermore, the Anschütz heading management system offers robust strategies allowing clients to significantly mitigate or completely eliminate the impacts of jamming and spoofing.

• Utilization of a classic speed log as speed input
• Separate speed and latitude inputs for each compass
• Integration of Standard 22 NX and Standard 30 MF into a compass system is achievable
  (differential impacts of jamming & spoofing detected via integrated heading monitoring)
• Manual entry of speed and latitude during jamming or spoofing scenarios is possible