Military exercise tied to GPS signal outage

A UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter sets down to pick up 366th Security Forces Squadron and 124th Air Support Operation Squadron members during Gunfighter Flag 15-2 at Saylor Creek Range, Idaho, April 15, 2015. The exercise allowed joint service members a chance to execute realistic operation scenarios in an environment similar to Southwest Asia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Roy Lynch III/Released)

A large-scale exercise at Mountain Home Air Force Base and Saylor Creek Training Range earlier this month had unexpected consequences across the local area after military jamming equipment blocked navigation signals used by local farmers, pilots and city workers.

During the week long Gunfighter Flag exercise, base officials had positioned 13 portable jamming systems within the exercise area to block navigation information transmitted by Global Positioning System satellites.

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