An RAF jet carrying UK Defence Secretary John Healey reportedly experienced GPS signal jamming while flying near the Russian border during a return flight from Estonia on Thursday, May 21. British officials believe Russia was behind the electronic interference, according to the BBC.
Incident Comes Days After Dangerous Black Sea Intercept by Russian Jets
The incident occurred as Healey travelled back to the UK after visiting British troops participating in NATO exercises near the Russian border. Reports said the aircraft’s GPS was disabled for roughly three hours, forcing pilots to rely on alternative navigation methods, including inertial navigation systems. Smartphones and laptops onboard also reportedly lost internet connectivity during the disruption, according to Sky News.
The aircraft involved was a Dassault Falcon 900LX, a government jet also used by senior ministers and members of the royal family. Despite the interference, defence sources said the aircraft remained safe to operate, according to the Times.
The BBC said that it remains unclear whether Healey himself was specifically targeted. However, reports noted that the aircraft’s route was publicly visible on flight-tracking websites during the journey.
The incident comes amid growing tensions between Russia and NATO countries in the Baltic and Black Sea regions, where GPS disruption and electronic warfare activity have become increasingly common since the war in Ukraine escalated, according to the Guardian.
UK officials suspect Russian GPS jamming near Baltic border
Just days earlier, the UK Ministry of Defence revealed that two Russian fighter jets had “repeatedly and dangerously” intercepted a RAF Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea last month. According to the Ministry of Defence, a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 flew close enough to trigger the Royal Air Force aircraft’s emergency systems and disable its autopilot, while a Sukhoi Su-27 carried out multiple close passes within six metres of the plane’s nose.
According to the BBC, Healey described those encounters as “dangerous and unacceptable” and praised the RAF crew for their professionalism during the incident. The Ministry of Defence called it the most dangerous Russian interaction involving a British Rivet Joint aircraft since 2022, when a Russian jet fired a missile near a British aircraft over the Black Sea. This is not the first time a UK government aircraft has reportedly encountered GPS interference near Russian territory. In 2024, an RAF plane carrying former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also experienced signal jamming while flying close to Kaliningrad, according to the Financial Times.
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