London, 12 July 2023.- GMV and the regional government of Galicia’s Galician Innovation Agency have entered into a €1.6 million contract to develop a cybersecurity system. The system will be able to detect radio frequency signal jamming in the area surrounding the Rozas Airport Research Centre (CIAR).
The purpose of the system is to protect the satellite-based communication and positioning systems used by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), so that they can be operated continuously in the area near the Rozas airport with the level of security required. The system will monitor the positioning signals sent by the satellites, as well as the signals used for the communication links between the control stations and UAVs.
CIAR is testing the infrastructure created under the Civil UAVs Initiative, which is a strategic program developed by Galicia’s regional government for advancing civilian applications of UAV technologies. The overall purpose of the initiative is to further develop the area surrounding Rozas as an epicentre of aerospace research, development, and innovation to position Galicia at the forefront of global developments in the area whilst creating high-quality jobs. The CIAR is a project co‑funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It has a total budget of €10 million.
The system will also include a cybersecurity solution to protect the frequency bands used for communicating with UAVs. This is essential to prevent any loss of control that could be caused by attacks on the communication link between an unmanned vehicle and the corresponding ground control station.
The project will consist of a network of ground stations and a sensor installed on board the UAVs. The ground stations will continuously monitor the appropriate radio frequency bands, while the UAVs’ onboard sensor will be used for geolocation of any interference sources coming from areas not covered by these ground stations.
