UK defence chief’s RAF jet hit by GPS jamming near Russia

A Royal Air Force aircraft transporting UK Defence Secretary John Healey suffered signal jamming near the Russian border, The Times reported Sunday. Satellite signals on Healey’s government jet were disrupted Thursday while he was returning to the United Kingdom after a visit to southeastern Estonia.

Navigation systems disabled

The interference disabled the aircraft’s GPS system throughout the three‑hour flight and also affected laptops and smartphones on board. Pilots were forced to rely on alternative inertial navigation systems to determine the aircraft’s position. One of the pilots described the event as unusual, saying he had not experienced such interference “in a long time.” Russia is believed to be behind the incident, according to the report.