New Delhi: The Indian Air Force (IAF) has responded after sources from the military suggested that its transport aircraft carrying relief materials to earthquake-hit Myanmar faced "GPS spoofing" issues last month. The IAF reassured the public that its crew are well-trained to handle such situations, and that "every mission was achieved as planned".

What is GPS spoofing?

GPS spoofing is essentially a type of cyber attack where fake GPS signals are sent to confuse an aircraft’s navigation systems. This can lead to the aircraft being misled about its position, which poses a serious risk to its safety.

IAF says precautions were taken

According to the IAF, the Mandalay International Airport had issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) that informed pilots of potential GPS issues.

"The possibility of degraded GPS availability was published by the Mandalay International airport as NOTAM and all due precautions were put in place to cater for such conditions," the IAF said in a post on X on Monday.

IAF crews were prepared

The IAF stressed that its crews are highly skilled in handling situations where GPS may be unavailable, ensuring both the safety of the flight and successful completion of the mission. "IAF crew are well capable to handle such unavailability, while ensuring safety of flight and achievement of the designated task or mission. Accordingly, every mission was achieved as planned," the IAF added.

Operation Brahma and relief efforts

India launched 'Operation Brahma' to provide assistance to Myanmar after the country was struck by a major earthquake on March 28. The first consignment of relief materials was sent on March 29 aboard a C-130J aircraft. According to sources, this aircraft and others involved in the mission experienced GPS spoofing in Myanmar's airspace.

In total, India sent six military transport aircraft to Myanmar. These aircraft carried vital relief materials, field hospitals, and rescue teams. Five of these aircraft landed in Yangon and Nay-Pyi-Daw between March 29 and 30, while one went to Mandalay on April 1.

Reassurance from the IAF

The IAF has reassured that despite the GPS issues, all six aircraft were able to complete their missions successfully, and no major complications occurred. The Air Force used a mix of aircraft, including the C-130J Super Hercules and C-17 Globemaster, to transport the relief supplies and teams.