Russia ‘jams GPS signals of RAF jet’ carrying defence secretary
The signals of an RAF jet carrying the defense minister were disrupted as it flew near the Russian border this week.
John Healey was returning to England from Estonia, where he had been visiting British soldiers, when the electronic attack occurred. Times.
Russia is thought to be behind the incident on Thursday; This meant that smartphones and laptops could not connect to the internet, and pilots had to use a different navigation system because the plane’s GPS was disabled for the three-hour flight.
It is not known whether Mr Healey was deliberately targeted, but his flight route was visible on plane tracking sites, the newspaper reported.
Passengers, including photographers and a reporter, were told the Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft could still fly safely.
A defense source told Independent: “This is reckless interference by Russia, but the RAF is well prepared to deal with this activity.”
The incident comes just days after the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said two Russian jets had “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted an RAF spy plane over the Black Sea.
A Russian Su-35 jet flew so close to the British reconnaissance aircraft that it triggered its emergency systems, including disabling the autopilot.
One of the country’s Su-27s also flew six meters from the nose of the unarmed Rivet Link and made six passes in front of it.
The Ministry of Defense said it was the most dangerous Russian action against a British Rivet Joint aircraft since a plane launched a missile over the Black Sea in 2022.
In March 2024, the GPS signal of an RAF plane carrying then defense secretary Grant Shapps was disrupted while flying near Russian territory.
The satellite signal of the plane returning from Poland to England was interfered with for approximately 30 minutes.
