Jet carrying UK defence secretary had signal jammed near Russia
A British Royal Air Force plane carrying UK Defence Secretary John Healey had its signal jammed and GPS disabled when it flew near the Russian border last week, the defence ministry confirmed Monday.
The Times newspaper first reported that the RAF jet had its signal knocked out as Healey was returning to the UK on Thursday after visiting British soldiers stationed in Estonia.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed to AFP that the report was accurate, adding: “This is reckless Russian interference, but the RAF is well prepared to deal with this activity.”
It did not confirm who was behind the incident and whether Healey’s plane was targeted on purpose.
The incident disabled the plane’s GPS for the three-hour journey, forcing pilots to use alternative navigation systems, the newspaper reported.
The Times, whose reporter was accompanying Healey, said electronic devices were unable to connect to the internet and parts of the dashboard malfunctioned.
It comes after the MoD…
