Austrian spy drone vulnerable to GPS jamming: lawmaker

An Austrian-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) procured by the South Korean Navy is susceptible to GPS jamming, raising concerns that the spy drone will be vulnerable once it is deployed to gather intelligence on North Korea, a ruling party lawmaker said Wednesday.

The Navy spent 25 billion won (US$23.6 million) to purchase four S-100 UAVs made by Austrian company Schiebel, the Navy said in its report submitted to the parliament. It wants to deploy them on intelligence ships that patrol seas near the western sea border, the so-called Northern Limit Line. The drones are currently undergoing testing.

Although the Austrian company says the UAVs are equipped with multiple backup inertial navigation systems, Rep. Song Young-keun of the Saenuri Party claimed the UVAs don't have the capability to withstand long-lasting GPS jamming.

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