LONDON — A Royal Air Force (RAF) transport plane carrying UK Defense Secretary John Healey had its GPS and internet signals heavily jammed during a three-hour flight near the Russian border earlier this week, defense sources confirmed.
The electronic assault, widely believed to have originated from Russian electronic warfare assets, completely disabled the aircraft’s satellite navigation systems for the duration of the journey.
John Healey was travelling back to the UK on Thursday after visiting British soldiers in Estonia when the incident happened, the Times newspaper reported.
The incident took place a day after two Russian warplanes had “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted an RAF spy plane over the Black Sea.
It is not known if Healey was deliberately targeted, but the newspaper reported that the flight’s path was visible on aircraft tracking websites.
Smartphones and laptops were unable to connect to the internet and pilots had to use a different navigation system as the plane’s GPS was disabled.
Passengers, who included photographers and a reporter, were told the Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft could still operate safely.
During his visit to Estonia, Healey spoke to UK service members taking part in a Nato military exercise near the Russian border.
Healey had also met the Estonian minister of defense, Hanno Pevkur, in Tallinn to discuss long-term bilateral defence cooperation and its strategic expansion.
In the separate incident last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter approached a Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft, getting close enough to trigger its emergency systems, disabling its autopilot.
And a Su-27 jet also carried out six passes in front of the RAF plane, getting as close as six metres (19ft) from its nose.
Healey had praised the “outstanding professionalism” of the RAF crew during “unacceptable” Russian flybys, which the MoD said was the most dangerous Russian action since 2022, when a “rogue” pilot fired a missile at a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea.
In 2024, an RAF plane carrying then-Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory.
Source: Saudi Gazette