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August 23, 2005

At a recent Russian military trade show (MAKS 2005), GPS jammer manufacturer Aviakonversia was forced, by the show organizers, to leave the show. The official reason was that Aviakonversia did not have the proper paperwork. The real reason is that the Russian government is afraid of being held responsible for whatever problems that are caused by the use of Aviakonversia jammers. The equipment Aviakonversia produces is illegal in many countries, and they apparently sell to anyone who can afford their stuff. Aviakonversia first arrived on the scene in 1997, and the U.S. Air Force bought a bunch of their gear, and refused to say anything more about it. The U.S. Department of Defense has spent a lot of money on developing equipment that can defeat GPS jammers. Aviakonversia equipment was apparently purchased by the Iraqis in late 2002 or early 2003 (before the invasion.) When the Aviakonversia equipment was used by the Iraqis, it was promptly destroyed by bombs designed to home in on the jamming signals. Aviakonversia says it has since developed GPS jammers that can evade that kind of countermeasure. To stay out of trouble with the Russian government (Aviakonversia is headquartered in Russia), they manufacture their jammers in another country, which they refuse to name.