Technology
PUBLISHED
Get your best tin foil hat ready, because something strange is going on in the deserts of California.
The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has warned that GPS signals could be unavailable or unreliable on June 9, 21, 23, 28, and 30 across the west coast. The signals are most likely to be disturbed primarily around California, although surrounding southwestern states and the northern corner of Mexico will also suffer some disruption. Although the disruptions will be more severe at higher altitudes, the signal could be scrambled as low as 15 meters (50 feet).
As such, the FAA have advised pilots to avoid the areas in the statement at the mentioned times and instructed them to closely monitor their flight control systems.
According to the FAA’s warning, the problem is something to do with “GPS Interference Testing". Other than that, they remain curiously quiet. However, the center point of the disturbances is the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in the Mojave Desert, according to Gizmodo. This complex is the US Navy’s largest installation, which is dedicated to researching, developing, and testing the majority of their weaponry and armaments.
Obviously, these kinds of things tend to remain on the secretive side. Neither the FAA or the Navy have revealed information on the tests, so it’s purely speculative to say what’s going on. Nevertheless, military bases in the dusty deserts of the west coast paired with top-secret aviation technology is certain to get a few imaginations sparked.
I want to believe.
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