Russia has jammed the GPS on hundreds of Royal Air Force flights over Eastern Europe in 2024, The Telegraph reported.
Earlier this year, Finnair had to withdraw all flights from Tartu, Estonia, after Russian GPS jamming prevented flights from safely approaching the airport. According to British officials, such operations could be part of Russian hybrid warfare against Ukraine’s allies.
Data analysis from thousands of flights has shown that more than one in four transport and surveillance flights in the first four months of 2024 were subjected to GPS interference.
“This is another example of Russia’s recklessness and more evidence that they are an out-of-control hostile state.
Thankfully, our planes and pilots can see off this threat, but it illustrates president Putin’s contempt for the West and for the international rules-based order,” said Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary.
Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for Flight Radar 24, explained that GPS jamming can disrupt navigation systems and increase pilot workload in congested airspace near conflict zones.
In March, a jet carrying Mr Shapps from Poland to the UK was also jammed by Russia. According to a defense source, it was “directly related to Putin and the attack on Ukraine and the sensitivities around Kaliningrad.”
The Telegraph analyzed data from Flight Radar 24 covering flights by 63 RAF aircraft from 1 January to 30 April. During this period, these aircraft conducted 1,467 journeys across Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The analysis revealed that out of 504 flights in Eastern Europe, 142 RAF transport and surveillance flights were subjected to GPS jamming.
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