It has been alleged that Russia obstructed the flight’s GPS signal on a Royal Air Force jet carrying the United Kingdom’s Defense Secretary while it was cruising near the Russian border. Secretary John Healey was on a flight back from the Baltic country of Estonia to the UK when Russia is suspected to have obstructed this signal.

As outlined by The Guardian, the electronic attack happened on Thursday, May 21, while the Secretary had been visiting British soldiers. It remains unclear if the flight was deliberately targeted, given that the flight path was visible on major aircraft tracking websites. The passengers onboard the plane, including Healey, were told that despite the tracking attack, the flight was still safe to operate.

Defence Secretary’s Flight Targeted By GPS Interference

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Healey and his crew were in Estonia for a visit with troops alongside an official meeting with Hanno Peukkur, the Estonian Minister of Defence. The Royal Air Force (RAF) Dassault Falcon 900LX had been in the capital of Tallinn, with Healey there to discuss further long-term bilateral defence cooperation.

On the flight’s return trip home, it was made clear that the plane was the deliberate target for the electronic attack, and has been called by the Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smyth a ‘reckless Russian interference’. The flight, which was flown by a Dassault Falcon 900LX registration G-ZABH, was being operated by Centreline AV Limited as reported by Aerotime.

The plane, which was being flown by Centreline on behalf of the Royal 32 Squadron from RAF Northold, had transited through Baltic airspace on its return leg back to the United Kingdom. It is reported that the GPS had been disabled for the length of the return service, and all smartphones, laptops, or other electronic devices were unable to connect to WiFi or the internet.

GPS Remained Disabled For The Return Flight

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On the flight from Tallinn back to the United Kingdom, the GPS and internet remained disabled, and pilots were forced to use alternative navigation systems. A risk assessment was completed to ascertain whether it was safe for the flight to continue back to the UK, and it was assessed as safe. The passengers onboard included Secretary Healey, a reporter, and other photographers.

The RAF Dassault Falcon 900LX, registration G-ZABH, was first delivered to the UK in July 2022 and was manufactured by Dassault Aviation in Bordeaux, France. Aircraft characteristics below as per ch-aviation:

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The RAF Dassault Falcon 900LX, also known as Envoy IV CC.1, is an aircraft that is not fitted with military standard electronic protection, and at the time of purchase, the UK opted against extensive defence aids. This decision saw criticism after a previous Defense Secretary, Grant Shapps, also saw GPS jammed for around 30 minutes on another diplomatic flight on the edge of Poland near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Hotspots For GNSS Interference

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Alongside the Russian border, including the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad, are four areas that have been identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency ( EASA), which are known to experience sustained Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) interference. Others include the border of eastern Finland, areas in the Black Sea, and the eastern Mediterranean.

Other diplomatic flights, including that of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the Spanish Air Force carrying Defence Minister Margarita Robles, have also experienced GPS interruption when travelling in the Baltic region.

Before Healey’s flight departure, the passengers were briefed on the situation and that the flight had been deemed safe to operate and remained visible on flight tracking websites at the time.