Invisible radio waves are becoming weapons.

Faking GPS signals to strand ships, hijacking drones mid-flight, forcing passenger planes to abort landings, "electronic warfare" is no longer science fiction. In 2025 alone, roughly 1,000 GPS interference incidents were reported daily around the world.

Now two Japanese startups are joining forces to fight back. Space Data Inc., a space data infrastructure company, and CYPHIC, Japan's only electronic warfare startup, are combining digital twin technology with cutting-edge anti-spoofing capabilities to build an entirely new kind of security solution.

The Rise of "Non-Kinetic Warfare"

Traditional warfare relied on physical destruction, missiles, bombs, and bullets. But today's security threats increasingly involve a different kind of attack: manipulating radio waves to disable communications and navigation systems without firing a single shot. This is known as "non-kinetic warfare."

The most alarming example is GPS spoofing, transmitting fake satellite signals to trick receivers into calculating a wrong location. This can hijack drone controls, divert ships onto dangerous routes, or confuse aircraft navigation systems.

The numbers are staggering. In April 2024, 117 vessels in the Mediterranean were simultaneously tricked by spoofed GPS signals into displaying false positions. In June 2025, over 3,000 ships in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz were affected by GPS spoofing in just two weeks. Between August 2023 and April 2024, approximately 46,000 GPS interference incidents were recorded over the Baltic Sea alone. In January 2025, a Ryanair flight approaching Vilnius had to abort its landing at 850 feet and divert to Warsaw due to GPS interference.

East Asia is not immune. AIS (Automatic Identification System) spoofing has been reported in the Taiwan Strait and Yellow Sea, while North Korea has conducted jamming operations that disrupted South Korean shipping lanes. For Japan, electronic warfare preparedness is becoming a national security imperative.

Space Data × CYPHIC: What Each Brings to the Table

On February 12, 2026, Space Data and CYPHIC officially announced the start of their strategic collaboration.

Space Data Inc. is a space data infrastructure company headquartered in Tokyo's Minato Ward, with capital of approximately $10 million. Founded in 2017 by Katsuaki Sato, a serial entrepreneur who previously took a company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Space Data develops "digital twin" technology that precisely recreates the Earth's terrain, buildings, and environmental conditions in virtual space using satellite data, AI, and 3D computer graphics.

The company's integrated technology platform "PROVIDENCE" serves as a training ground for AI, enabling simulations across everything from urban planning and disaster prevention to national defense. In April 2025, Space Data established a dedicated "National Security Division" and formally entered the defense business. It already works on multiple government-related projects and has expanded partnerships with IHI (satellite data collaboration), JAXA (space digital twin co-creation), and U.S.-based Redwire Corporation (AI and digital engineering cooperation).

CYPHIC Inc. is Japan's only electronic warfare startup, headquartered in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. Led by CEO Yuta Hasegawa under the banner of "Cyber-Physical Intelligence," the company develops security technologies in the electromagnetic spectrum.

CYPHIC's flagship product is the cognitive electronic warfare device "Cobra-EW." Designed to be compact enough for operation by small, mobile front-line units, it can detect GPS spoofing, estimate the location of hostile radio sources, and analyze electromagnetic threats. The "cognitive" label reflects its AI-powered ability to learn from the radio environment in real time and autonomously determine optimal countermeasures.

What the Partnership Aims to Achieve

The collaboration focuses on three key areas.

First, creating digital twins of the electromagnetic domain. Using Space Data's technology to recreate real-world terrain and structures in virtual space, then simulating how radio waves propagate and how jamming affects operations within that environment. While large-scale electronic warfare experiments are dangerous and impractical in the real world, virtual environments allow tens of thousands of interference patterns to be tested safely.

Second, co-developing autonomous electronic warfare algorithms. By combining CYPHIC's "Cobra-EW" with Space Data's "PROVIDENCE" platform, the companies aim to build AI algorithms that automatically detect and identify threats, then execute countermeasures or evasion maneuvers. This technology could eventually be applied to autonomous drone operations and unmanned vehicle navigation protection.

Third, providing joint solutions to the Ministry of Defense and critical infrastructure operators. Power grids, railways, and telecommunications networks are all vulnerable to GPS spoofing and radio jamming. The partnership aims to develop solutions that protect not only military assets but civilian infrastructure as well.

Why Japanese Defense Tech Startups Are Having Their Moment

For decades, Japan's defense industry and startup ecosystem existed in separate worlds. Post-war pacifist sentiment and a defense industry dominated by large traditional contractors kept innovative newcomers at arm's length. That is rapidly changing.

Japan's 2022 "Three Strategic Documents" on national security outlined a fundamental strengthening of defense capabilities and a significant increase in defense spending. Since fiscal year 2023, the Ministry of Defense has raised the maximum operating profit margin for defense contracts from 8% to 15%, creating stronger incentives for new market entrants. The Defense Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency (ATLA) established the "Defense Innovation Science and Technology Institute (DISTI)" as a hub for connecting startups with defense needs.

The global electronic warfare market was valued at approximately $16.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $36.7 billion by 2032, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.1%. This makes it one of the fastest-growing segments in the defense industry.

For Japanese defense tech startups, electronic warfare is an especially promising domain. Unlike manufacturing physical weapons, it relies heavily on software, AI, and data analysis, exactly the capabilities where agile startups excel. The Space Data–CYPHIC partnership represents a landmark moment in this emerging trend.

How is your country addressing electronic warfare and GPS spoofing threats? Are defense tech startups playing a role in your nation's security? We'd love to hear your thoughts.

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