We are mid-year and the operational picture for aircrew and operators is clear. Three vectors will keep flight crews and airspace managers busy through the rest of 2023: proliferating small unmanned aircraft systems, high altitude balloon incursions, and continued episodes of GNSS jamming and spoofing. Each presents different signatures and mitigation needs. My focus here is practical and cockpit facing. I will outline the threat, describe realistic flight deck impacts, and give concrete mitigations crews and operators can adopt now.

Drones: more frequent, more varied, and still largely benign but disruptive

Unmanned aircraft sightings and incursions have climbed as registered UAS counts and hobbyist use grow. The operational effect is not just a theoretical midair risk. Drones create go arounds, missed approaches, ATC re-routes, and often the loss of an approach while the source is identified and removed. Operators must plan for increased frequency of low altitude disruptions near fields, stadiums, and TFRs, and brief crews accordingly. Pilots should treat reported UAS in the arrival/departure corridor as a credible hazard until proven otherwise and execute stabilized approach discipline and missed approach procedures without hesitation.

For flight departments this means ensuring crews are current in non-GNSS approach plates and missed approach procedures, carrying appropriate fuel reserves for potential holds or reroutes, and using conservative dispatch alternates if the destination has limited ground-based approaches. Flight operations should confirm local ATC and airport procedures for UAS sightings so pilots know what the controller’s expectations are when they call a UAS sighting. Finally, submit PIREPs and air reports when you experience a UAS close encounter. Those reports feed the situational picture and help authorities take timely action.

Balloons and high altitude objects: not common but high consequence

The February 2023 transit and subsequent shoot-down of a high altitude balloon over North America showed how a single, slow moving object at extreme altitude can trigger major airspace measures, large TFRs, and political fallout. For commercial crews the immediate consequences are the NOTAMed airspace closures, reroutes, and the possibility that traffic flow measures will be applied over broad geographic areas while military assets and recovery teams work. Even if the object itself does not threaten your aircraft, the downstream operational complexity can be severe.

Practical steps for crews: watch NOTAMs closely for temporary flight restrictions and expect expanded TFR footprints when national security assets are deployed. Expect controllers to institute ground stops or flow restrictions and plan fuel and diversion options accordingly. Operators should rehearse high level communications with dispatch and public affairs so the operational response is smooth and passenger communications are honest and timely.

GNSS jamming and spoofing: a sustained regional risk that degrades navigation and systems

Since early 2022 regulators and analysts have documented an uptick in GNSS interference in several regions. When GNSS is degraded crews can see multiple cascading effects: loss of RNAV lateral guidance, inability to fly GNSS based approaches, odd discrepancies between indicated groundspeed and position, and even spurious TAWS pull-ups if systems receive anomalous inputs. In some reported cases operators had to divert because RNAV approaches were unusable and suitable conventional alternates were needed. This is not theoretical. European authorities published a safety information bulletin warning operators to expect intermittent GNSS outages and to ensure conventional navigation capability remains operational. The practical pilot-level responses are straightforward but require practice and planning.

Immediate cockpit actions when GNSS anomalies show up

  • Cross check position using VOR, DME, or TACAN where available. If you cannot verify your position with conventional aids, treat GNSS as suspect and advise ATC.
  • Be prepared to revert to conventional arrival and approach procedures. If your destination relies only on GNSS minima, consider a different destination or confirm available ILS/VOR alternatives before dispatch.
  • Watch speed and flight path instruments carefully. Look for discrepancies between groundspeed and groundspeed derived from GPS. If TAWS or other automation gives unexpected alerts, fly the aircraft first and then troubleshoot.
  • File detailed air reports so ANSPs and national authorities can correlate events and issue timely NOTAMs if needed.

What operators and regulators need to prioritize now

  1. Restore and retain conventional navigation infrastructure. The loss of GNSS makes ILS, VOR, and DME essential. Don’t assume every alternate has modern GNSS-only minima. Encourage regulators and ANSPs to keep conventional aids serviceable.

  2. Train and currency. This is a training issue. Line pilots must practice non-GNSS arrivals and missed approach execution regularly. Dispatchers need to factor GNSS outages into fuel and alternate planning.

  3. Reporting and situational awareness. Pilots must keep reporting anomalies. Timely pilot reports trigger NOTAMs and ANSP contingency actions that protect other traffic.

  4. Equip sensibly. Consider avionics with robust multi-sensor navigation and inertial augmentation where economical. For operators flying into or near known interference zones, verify that flight management systems and TAWS behaviour under GNSS loss are understood by crews.

  5. Support reasoned counter-UAS frameworks. Technical mitigation such as Radio Frequency identification and Remote ID for UAS will help law enforcement identify and interdict rogue operators. In the United States the Remote ID rule for unmanned aircraft is already on the books and its operational compliance deadline approaches later in the year. Operators should support practical, privacy-respecting implementations that help enforce responsible UAS use while enabling legitimate operations.

Final operational takeaways for crews

  • Expect more frequent low level UAS sightings. Fly conservative approaches, brief more often, and file PIREPs.
  • Treat high altitude balloon detections as system events that can force broad traffic measures. Keep alternates and fuel buffers in mind.
  • If GNSS acts up, revert to conventional nav, prioritize aircraft handling, and report everything so the wider system can adapt.

As pilots we cannot control every factor outside the cockpit, but we can control preparedness and discipline. These three threats are different in mechanics but similar in consequence: they create operational friction that chips away at margins. Keep the basics sharp, report what you see, and insist that operators and regulators maintain and resource non-satellite navigation and detection capabilities. That practical focus is the best way to keep flights safe and on time in an increasingly crowded near and far airspace.