Leading aircraft manufacturer Boeing last week filed a patent application for a blockchain based GPS system aimed at preventing pilot misinformation. Current flight GPS is vulnerable to attack by spoofing, by which false signals are sent to the plane\'s GPS receiver, in order to mislead it as to the location and direction of travel of the plane.

The consequences of this are easy to understand, from the capture of enemy or spy drones, to deliberate attempts to injure or destroy vehicles in flight. The new patent would install an additional onboard GPS system, to use as a back-up if the main inflight system came under attack so that it was no longer functional or reliable. The anti-spoofing device can be installed on both human-controlled planes, and remotely operated systems such as drones.

Using the blockchain principle, the backup system would store all the position data received by the GPS, with the ability to recall it when needed. It would also store environmental data to help prevent pilots getting lost. In filing this patent, the manufacturers are aiming to fill the gap in current technology, which doesn\'t allow for a backup system in the event of spoofing or GPS failure.