RAF jet carrying defence secretary has signal jammed near Russian border

Pilots on board had to use a different navigation system while the plane's GPS was disabled. RAF jet carrying John Healey has signal jammed near Russia border Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Defence Secretary John Healey visited Estonia earlier this week John Healey in a white shirt, black suit and red tie, seen exiting an RAF plane at an airport as a soldier stands to attention nearby RAF jet carrying defence secretary has signal jammed near Russian border An RAF jet with the UK defence secretary on board had its signal jammed as it flew near the Russian border earlier this week. John Healey was travelling back to the UK on Thursday after visiting British soldiers in Estonia when the incident happened, the Times first reported. Russia is believed to be behind the attack, which meant pilots had to use a different navigation system as the plane's GPS was disabled during the three-hour flight. The incident took place a day after it emerged that two Russian warplanes had "repeatedly and dangerously" intercepted an RAF spy plane over the Black Sea last month. The incident took place a day after it emerged that two Russian warplanes had "repeatedly and dangerously" intercepted an RAF spy plane It is not known if Healey was purposely targeted, but the newspaper reported that the flight's path was visible on aircraft tracking websites. The Ministry of Defence has been contacted for comment. During his visit to Estonia, Healey spoke to UK service members taking part in a Nato military exercise near the Russian border. In the separate incident last month, a Russian Su-35 fighter approached a Rivet Joint surveillance aircraft, getting close enough to trigger its emergency systems, disabling its autopilot. And a Su-27 jet also carried out six passes in front of the RAF plane, getting as close as six metres (19ft) from its nose. Healey had praised the "outstanding professionalism" of the RAF crew during "unacceptable" Russian flybys, which the MoD said was the most dangerous Russian action since 2022, when a "rogue" pilot fired a missile at a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea. Healey had praised the "outstanding professionalism" of the RAF crew during "unacceptable" Russian flybys, which the MoD said was the most dangerous Russian action since 2022, when a "rogue" pilot fired a missile at a Rivet Joint over the Black Sea In 2024, an RAF plane carrying then-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory. RAF plane carrying then-Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its GPS signal jammed while flying close to Russian territory. Split screen showing Russian Su-27 alongside RAF Rivet Joint aircraft on the left, and Frank Gardner in studio on the right Why Russian jets intercepting an RAF spy plane is 'serious incident' A fragment of the downed drone on the ground in Estonia. Photo: 19 May 2026 Estonia says Nato jet shot down drone over its territory British jets to get new anti-drone missile systems The intrusion of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles into the airspace of the Baltic states raises questions, and not all of them have answers. Estonia suspects the drone was a Ukrainian projectile knocked off course by Russian electronic jamming. A university student has helped chronicle the life and exile of renowned astronomer and astrophysicist Ernst Öpik. A hypersonic missile, which reportedly travels over 10 times the speed of sound, was used, Russia has confirmed. Eighteen people were killed and 42 others injured in the strike on the town in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Ukraine says it struck Russia's elite Rubicon drone military unit in a Moscow-occupied region. The famous display team will fly with seven rather than nine aircraft for most of its displays. After four years of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has become far more successful at fighting off air raids.