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🇩🇰 Denmark /Conflict & Security

British Defense Minister Subjected to Russian GPS Jamming: 'A Rare Situation'

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • British Defense Secretary John Healey's Royal Air Force flight experienced GPS jamming for three hours while flying near the Russian border.
  • The incident, believed to be caused by Russia, disrupted navigation systems and internet connectivity on the government aircraft.
  • This marks the second time in two years a British defense minister's flight has been targeted by Russian GPS jamming.

A Royal Air Force flight carrying British Defense Secretary John Healey experienced significant GPS jamming for three hours while flying near the Russian border, according to The Times newspaper.

The electronic interference disabled the aircraft's GPS system during its return journey from Estonia. Pilots were forced to rely on alternative navigation methods. The incident also affected other onboard systems, preventing computers and smartphones from connecting to the internet.

While it remains unclear if the flight was a deliberate target, its route was publicly available on flight-tracking services. A defense source described the incident as "reckless" Russian interference that could have endangered civilian air traffic.

This is the second such incident involving a British defense minister's flight in two years. In 2024, the then-Defense Secretary Grant Shapps' aircraft experienced similar disruptions for approximately 30 minutes near Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave.

It was a rare situation, which I had not experienced for a long time.

· RAF pilotAn RAF pilot describes the unusual nature of the GPS jamming incident.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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