The Royal Air Force (RAF) jet carrying UK Defence Secretary John Healey is believed to have been targeted by Russian electronic jamming. The incident occurred on Thursday while the minister was returning to the United Kingdom from an official visit to Estonia, where he had been inspecting British troops engaged in a joint exercise.
According to reports from The Telegraph and The Times, the Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft experienced a total loss of GPS signals while flying near the Russian border. The disruption lasted for the duration of the three-hour flight. Passengers on board, including journalists, reported that electronic devices such as smartphones and laptops were unable to connect to the internet throughout the journey. Pilots were forced to rely on alternative navigation systems to ensure the safe operation of the aircraft.
While it remains unconfirmed whether Mr. Healey was specifically targeted, his flight path had been visible on public aircraft tracking websites, which likely made the plane detectable to foreign electronic warfare assets. A defence source characterized the move as "reckless Russian interference," adding that the RAF remains well-prepared to manage such hostile activities.
This security breach follows a recent series of escalations involving Russian military assets and British aircraft. Earlier this week, the UK Ministry of Defence reported that two Russian jets engaged in "dangerously close" maneuvers near an RAF spy plane over the Black Sea. In that incident, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet flew within such proximity to the British reconnaissance aircraft that it triggered emergency systems and disabled the autopilot. The Ministry of Defence described it as the most significant Russian provocation against a British Rivet Joint aircraft since a Russian plane fired a missile in the vicinity of a British aircraft over the Black Sea in 2022.
The targeting of high-ranking British officials` aircraft is becoming a recurring concern. In March 2024, an RAF plane carrying then-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed for approximately 30 minutes while flying over Eastern Europe on its return from Poland. These incidents highlight the ongoing challenges posed by electronic warfare as tensions between NATO and Russia continue to persist in the region.
