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The P code is on a different frequency, so the Iranians could have just jammed the P code, and then presumably the drone would rely on the the unencrypted C/A code which they spoofed.

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Sigh..

I hope it was not that insecure.

All of the military GPS receivers also use the civilian signal to initialize their position to lock on to the military encrypted signal. I would assume that in the event that they lose the P code, that they would revert to the C/A code.

Still a horrible security design if that is the case.

Simply jamming something should not by-pass an authentication mechanism.

If a human being lost GPS signal, they'd start using landmarks, or based on their last known position, just use dead reckoning to get over friendly airspace, then ask for help. Programming that into a drone takes time and so costs money. Maybe the drone was the victim of cost cutting?

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