An annual series of exercises in Norway known as "Jammertest" has brought together defence companies and technology firms to work on ways to detect, mitigate and operate around satellite jamming, organisers said. The activity reflects growing interest in protecting satellite-based communications and navigation systems that are critical to both military operations and civilian services in the Arctic.
Testing equipment and tactics
Participants in the exercises have focused on a range of technical and procedural measures, including testing receivers and software updates intended to maintain connectivity when signals are degraded or deliberately interfered with. The drills also give manufacturers an opportunity to trial hardware under Arctic conditions and enable operators to practice workflows for switching to alternate communications channels or redundant systems.
Why the Arctic matters
High-latitude regions such as the Arctic pose unique challenges for communications and surveillance, with limited terrestrial infrastructure and heavy reliance on satellite links. That makes resilience against electronic interference and jamming particularly important for search and rescue, maritime traffic management, scientific research, and defence activities operating in the area.
Satellite jamming — intentional transmission of signals to disrupt satellite communications or navigation — is a form of electronic warfare that can affect both military and civilian users. Exercises like Jammertest are intended to refine technical fixes and operational responses so that critical services remain available when satellites are compromised or degraded.
Organisers describe the annual nature of the drills as a way to iterate on new technologies and lessons learned, keeping systems and procedures up to date as threat techniques and satellite architectures evolve. The events underline the growing emphasis within industry and defence circles on securing space-dependent systems in demanding environments.