Russia ‘jams’ UK Defence Secretary’s RAF jet in ‘mid-air electronic attack’

John Healey was travelling home from visiting British troops in Estonia when the GPS signal on his Dassault Falcon 900LX was reportedly knocked out near the Russian border

An RAF jet carrying UK Defence Secretary John Healey was reportedly targeted by Russian electronic warfare after its GPS signal was knocked out.

The Dassault Falcon 900LX jet, which was flying from Estonia back to the UK, is said to have been near to the Russian border when its satellite signal suddenly cut out.

The GPS system that the plane uses to navigate switched off and all internet connectivity on board stopped working, meaning pilots were forced to rely on back-up navigation systems to determine their location and safely guide the aircraft home.

A defence insider told The Times that the incident was a result of “reckless” Russian interference, alleging that while the RAF is “well prepared” for such scenarios, it could potentially have affected civilian planes.

It remains uncertain whether the Defence Secretary was intentionally targeted.

Political and military advisors were also present on the flight, along with a three-star lieutenant general, two photographers, and a journalist.

GPS-jamming equipment operates by emitting radio “noise” at the same frequency as GPS satellites, overpowering the comparatively weak satellite signals so that a GPS receiver can’t pinpoint its location. These electronic attacks can be launched from aircraft, drones, or ground vehicles, reports the Express.

It’s believed that the interference began when the aircraft was near Russian territory, but it affected the entire flight because the only way to reset the system is to reboot the jet, which isn’t feasible in-flight.

Mr Healey had been in Estonia receiving briefings at a classified site with troops from 4th Light Brigade, known as the Black Rats. They are amongst thousands of soldiers stationed to discourage any potential meddling from Russian forces 25 miles away.

The Black Rats have cultivated drone combat skills comparable to Ukrainian front-line troops, and they are cleared to use new fixed-wing suicide drones that resist electronic interference, which can operate without GPS.

Mr Healey said he was “working on” securing additional kit for the British forces to protect the frontier, after being told they possessed fewer than a fifth of the first-person-view drones required.

The troubling news comes as Russia has been accused of firing dangerous radioactive drones at Ukraine.

Ukrainian security services discovered the horrifying weapon after analysing wreckage from a strike on Chernihiv Oblast last month. Tests revealed dangerous levels of uranium-235 and uranium-238 in fragments of the Iranian-designed Geran-2 kamikaze drone.

The radioactive debris was emitting gamma radiation at 12 microsieverts per hour – up to 100 times higher than normal background levels. Ukrainian defence forces had to treat the fragments on location before transporting them to a radioactive waste facility.

Officials are now warning civilians to stay well clear of any drone wreckage they find. “Given the toxicity and radioactivity of depleted uranium, we urge citizens to be especially careful if they find wreckage of UAVs, missiles, or other ammunition,” the Security Service of Ukraine warned.

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