A Royal Air Force aircraft transporting UK Defence Secretary John Healey reportedly experienced signal interference and GPS disruption while flying close to the Russian border last week, according to the British Ministry of Defence.
The incident was first reported by The Times, which stated that the RAF jet lost its signal while Healey was returning to the United Kingdom on Thursday after visiting British troops stationed in Estonia.
Confirming the development on Monday, the UK Ministry of Defence described the incident as reckless interference linked to Russia.
“This is reckless Russian interference, but the RAF is well prepared to deal with this activity,” the ministry said in a statement issued to AFP.
However, the ministry did not officially confirm whether the aircraft was deliberately targeted or directly identify who was responsible for the interference.
According to reports, the disruption disabled the aircraft’s GPS system for approximately three hours during the journey, forcing pilots to rely on alternative navigation methods to complete the flight safely.
The Times, whose journalist was reportedly travelling with Healey during the trip, stated that electronic devices aboard the aircraft were unable to connect to the internet while sections of the aircraft’s dashboard systems also malfunctioned during the disruption.
The latest development comes days after the Ministry of Defence accused Russian military aircraft of repeatedly and dangerously intercepting a British surveillance aircraft over the Black Sea in April.
Following that incident, Healey condemned the actions of the Russian pilots, describing them as dangerous and unacceptable behaviour carried out in international airspace.
He stated that the actions would not weaken the United Kingdom’s commitment to defending NATO, its allies, and its interests against what he described as Russian aggression.
British officials also disclosed that the Black Sea encounter represented the most serious incident involving a UK Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft since 2022.
In 2022, a Russian military aircraft reportedly fired a missile near a British aircraft operating over the same region.
Relations between Russia and the United Kingdom have remained tense since Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Britain has remained one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters throughout the conflict, providing military, financial, and diplomatic support to Kyiv.
The latest incident also follows a similar occurrence in 2024 involving an RAF aircraft carrying former UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps.
That aircraft reportedly experienced temporary signal jamming while flying near Russian territory during a return trip from Poland.
