UK rolls out eLoran as backup to GPS
Date: Thursday, November 06 @ 04:58:53 UTC
Topic:
LORAN (Long Range Navigation) was a technology designed during World War II as a navigation aid for shipping. LORAN, which used a network of land based transmitters and ship based receivers, continued to be used in various updated forms until GPS replaced it.
With the increased reliance on GPS for navigation, concern has grown in recent years and now the Department of Transport is taking action by rolling out an enhanced variant of LORAN called eLoran.
Following trials last year, the first seven eLoran stations are now in operation along the East coast. The rollout will continue with all major UK ports being equipped with eLoran stations within five years.
The system uses a very strong signal that is resistant to jamming and it's hoped it will serve as a back-up should anything happen to the GPS signal when a ship is navigating a busy port area.
Whilst many countries are decommissioning their LORAn stations, a number of countries have shown interest in the technology. We've previously reported on the GPS jamming shenanigans of North Korea so, unsurprisingly, South Korea is one of those showing a keen interest.
Source: TrinityHouse.co.uk
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