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[Herald Economy=Reporter Lee Won-yul] A Royal Air Force jet carrying U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey suffered radio jamming and GPS denial near the Russian border.
On May 25 (local time), British outlets including The Times reported that a U.K. Ministry of Defence spokesperson told Yonhap that Healey experienced signal interference while returning from a visit to British troops stationed in Estonia on May 21.
The GPS outage lasted roughly 3 hours during the flight, forcing the aircrew to switch to backup navigation systems.
A ministry spokesperson called the incident “reckless interference by Russia,” adding that “the Royal Air Force is prepared to respond to incidents like this.”
The U.K. has been one of the most vocal critics of Russia’s invasion and remains a firm supporter of Ukraine.
The MoD previously said two Russian fighters repeatedly approached and threatened a Royal Air Force reconnaissance aircraft over international airspace above the Black Sea last month.
On May 20 (local time), the BBC and other outlets reported that the MoD said a Russian Su-35 flew so close to a U.K. RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft that the plane’s emergency systems activated and its autopilot disengaged, according to Yonhap.
The ministry added that another Su-27 crossed in front of the reconnaissance aircraft’s nose six times. At the closest point the two planes were separated by just 6 meters.
Healey said, “This incident is another example of dangerous and unacceptable behavior by Russian pilots toward unarmed aircraft operating in international airspace. Such actions risk causing a serious accident and escalating tensions. They will not shake the U.K.’s resolve to defend NATO, our allies, and our interests from Russian aggression.”
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