RAF jet flying defence secretary has signal jammed near Russian border

An RAF jet which the defence secretary was travelling in had its signals jammed as it flew near the Russian border, in what a defence source said was "reckless" interference.

John Healey was travelling back to the UK on Thursday after visiting British soldiers in Estonia when the electronic attack happened, The Times first reported.

It said smartphones and laptops were unable to connect to the internet and pilots had to use a different navigation system as the plane's GPS was disabled for the three-hour flight.

A defence source said: "This is reckless Russian interference, but the RAF is well prepared to deal with this activity."

It is not known if Mr Healey was deliberately targeted, but the flight path of the Dassault Falcon 900LX aircraft was visible on tracking websites, the newspaper reported.

Passengers on board, who included photographers and a reporter, were told it could still operate safely despite the interference.

The ability to mess with GPS - the system we use to navigate day in, day out - has now become a routine part of modern war, and incidents have routinely been linked with Russia.

In September 2025, a plane carrying EU chief Ursula von der Leyen suffered suspected GPS jamming.

The EU said the plane was able to land safely, adding: "We have received information from Bulgarian authorities that they suspect this blatant interference was carried out by Russia."

In March 2024, an RAF plane carrying the then-defence secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed for around 30 minutes while flying near Russian territory.

Earlier this month, electronic warfare expert Dr Thomas Withington from the RUSI thinktank told Sky News Iran had bought jamming equipment from Russia and developed its own systems in the Gulf.

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'Everyone is doing it': The dark art of GPS jamming
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The incident with Mr Healey's flight came days after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said two Russian jets had "repeatedly and dangerously" intercepted an RAF spy plane above the Black Sea.

It said a Russian Su-35 jet flew so close to the British aircraft that it triggered its emergency systems, including disabling the autopilot, while one of the nation's Su-27s also flew six metres from the unarmed Rivet Joint's nose and carried out six passes in front.

The MoD and Foreign Office condemned the "dangerous and unacceptable behaviour" in a complaint to the Russian Embassy.

(c) Sky News 2026: RAF jet flying defence secretary has signal jammed near Russian border