Could 5G Interfere with Radar Altimeters & Hurt Helicopter Navigation

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By Kris Osborn – Warrior Maven

(Washington D.C.) When Apache attack helicopters engaged the Medina division of the Iraqi Republican Guard during Operation Iraqi Freedom, pilot crews were forced to absorb some small arms fire and operate in dangerous proximity to enemy troops. Senior Army leaders described this combat scenario as driven primarily by a need to conduct a “targeting mission,” yet the Apaches encountered windy, sandstorm-type conditions, a dynamic which obscured pilots’ vision and made it difficult to maneuver in response to enemy fire. Regrettably, there were some U.S. casualties in the engagement.

Iraq is desert terrain, so the ground below was naturally flat, yet if visibility was in any way obscured by brown-out conditions, pilot crews therefore operated a much higher risk of having a fatal collision with the ground during high-speed attack maneuvers.

Drones, fighter jets, helicopters and even missiles all rely upon radar altimeters to determine altitude, proximity to terrain, navigational accuracy and of course avoid potentially catastrophic collisions with the ground. Essentially, they are not only crucial to operational effectiveness, but also, of greater significance, when it comes to saving lives.

“Radio altimeters are vital below approximately 2,500 feet. At that point, only the altimeter can accurately measure a plane’s distance from the ground. If your aircraft, drone or even a missile thought it was at 2,000 feet but was only at 200 feet, you have a serious problem on your hands,” a senior government official told The National Interest.

However, despite the consequential role it plays when it comes to securing the successful operation of U.S. military aircraft in combat or homeland security missions, radar altimeter functionality may now be in serious jeopardy, according to senior U.S. government officials, who are expressing concern that a move by the Federal Communications Commission to reallocate a portion of the 3.7–4.2 GHz frequency band for use with 5G will interfere with and disrupt radar altimeter functionality.