Russia has jammed the GPS on hundreds of RAF flights flying through Eastern Europe this year, with Grant Shapps’ flight on its way back from Poland in March.
An in-depth analysis has revealed the dangers of such practices for both civilian and military flights and provides insight into the extent of Russian interference in aviation.
And as many as one in four transport and surveillance trips from January to April 2024 were affected by GPS (Global Positioning System) disruption, according to a Flight Radar 24 study of data from thousands of flights.
The detailed analysis of 1,467 sorties made by 63 RAF aircraft over Eastern Europe and the Middle East found that 142 RAF transport and surveillance flights out of 504 over Eastern Europe were subject to interference.
One in eight trips, which equates to 60 trips, was caused by repeated attempts to block GPS systems.
The number of RAF flights affected rose to 40 percent, taking into account flights over the eastern Mediterranean.
Grant Shapps, the defense secretary, told The Telegraph: ‘This is yet another example of Russia’s recklessness and yet more evidence that Russia is an out-of-control hostile state.
“Fortunately, our planes and pilots were able to avert this threat, but it illustrates President Putin’s contempt for the West and for the international rules-based order.”
Shapps was hit by Russian jamming three months ago as he returned from a trip to Poland when it flew near the Kaliningrad enclave yesterday.
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The RAF Dassault Falcon 900’s primary GPS system and satellite communications were jammed for almost 30 minutes.
The attack took place on his return journey from Poland. Details of the Defense Secretary’s flight to Britain’s NATO ally were followed on social media.
Mr Shapps took a day trip to Eastern Europe to meet British troops taking part in the Steadfast Defender exercise, the largest NATO maneuvers since the Cold War.
The plane flew less than 60 miles past Kaliningrad on its return journey last night after departing from RAF Northolt in west London that morning.
Hundreds of commercial flights flying in the same airspace have reported similar problems in recent months, as the Kremlin steps up its electronic warfare (EW) campaign against the West.
Without GPS, pilots lose their situational awareness – they are essentially unaware of where they are – which in the worst case can lead to a fatal collision.
British defense sources said there was no threat to Mr Shapps’ plane yesterday because it is equipped with backup systems that Russia failed to penetrate.
Typhoons, F-35 fighter jets, A400M transport aircraft and Voyager troop planes, among others, have been affected.
The planes analyzed in the recent study each had a transponder that broadcasts a number that rates how accurate the GPS is. When that number drops below a certain threshold, experts say it’s a reliable sign that jamming is taking place.
Cargo aircraft of the C-17 and A400M types, and the RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft, were also included in the analysis.
While the jammer that targeted the defense minister’s flight was in the Kaliningrad exclave, a part of Russian territory on the shores of the Baltic Sea, Moscow is also conducting some jamming from Syria, according to geopolitical experts.
Meanwhile, some of the jamming signals may come from Israel and serve as a buffer against possible GPS-guided weapons fired by Hamas.
The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment.
MailOnline has also approached the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office for comment.