RAF flight carrying John Healey suffers signal interference near Russia, report says

A Royal Air Force aircraft carrying UK Defence Secretary John Healey had its GPS signal jammed while flying near the Russian border earlier this week.

According to the BBC, the incident happened on Thursday as Healey returned to the UK after visiting British troops in Estonia during a NATO military exercise near Russia.

The Times reported that the aircraft’s GPS system was disabled for around three hours, forcing pilots to switch to an alternative navigation system.

Russia is believed to be behind the interference, although it is unclear whether Healey’s plane was deliberately targeted.

The incident came days after another confrontation involving Russian aircraft and an RAF surveillance plane over the Black Sea.

Last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet reportedly approached an RAF Rivet Joint spy plane closely enough to trigger its emergency systems and disable its autopilot.

A Russian Su-27 aircraft also reportedly carried out six passes near the plane.

Healey praised the “outstanding professionalism” of the RAF crew during what he described as “unacceptable” Russian intereference.

A similar case took place in 2024, when an RAF aircraft carrying former Defence Secretary Grant Shapps also experienced GPS jamming while flying close to Russian territory.