Proof of Location Consensus Network: A Peer-to-Peer System for Secure Aviation Surveillance

Summary

Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) enables real-time position sharing among aircraft and ground stations, but its open, unauthenticated broadcasts are vulnerable to spoofing, jamming, and interception — risks that grow with Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

This work proposes a peer-to-peer network that uses a proof-of-location consensus mechanism rather than computational work. Aircraft act as nodes, broadcasting tokenized ADS-B data validated through a distributed ledger. Consensus is derived from verifiable location proofs using multi-source signals (for example GNSS, INS, and multilateration), creating an immutable chain of location records without reliance on a central authority.

A companion concept paper places the same idea in an operational National Airspace System context: how blockchain-style validation could reduce ADS-B spoofing, jamming, and interception risk so that denser, more autonomous AAM and UAS operations can scale with greater surveillance integrity.

Who it’s for

• FAA & ANSPs
• UTM / USS providers
• AAM & UAS operators
• Surveillance & avionics primes
• Research partners