Minister on flight back from Poland
GPS signal from British government plane disrupted near Russia
March 14, 2024, 10:15 p.m
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British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps visits the major NATO exercise “Steadfast Defender” in Poland. On the return flight, his plane’s satellite signal was severely disrupted near Russian territory. The government airline has to switch to other measurement methods.
The navigation system of a British Air Force plane carrying Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was disrupted while flying near Russian territory, according to government reports. A British government spokesman confirmed media reports that the incident occurred on Wednesday evening as the defense minister was flying back from a NATO exercise in Poland. The plane was “temporarily affected by GPS interference” while it was near the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. Shapps attended NATO’s Steadfast Defender exercise, the alliance’s largest military exercise since the Cold War.
The incident did not threaten the safety of the aircraft, the spokesman said. In addition, GPS interference is not uncommon near Kaliningrad, Russia. Journalists from the Times newspaper were on board the plane and reported that the GPS signal remained disrupted for about half an hour. Cell phones could no longer connect to the internet, according to the report, and the plane had to use other methods to determine its position.
Britain is one of Ukraine’s strongest supporters in its two-year war against Russian invasion. After a visit to Kiev, Shapps said the British government wanted to support Ukraine with a total of 10,000 drones. London will increase its existing commitment of drones worth 200 million pounds to 325 million pounds (around 380 million euros), the defense minister wrote on X.
Shapps said Ukrainian forces used British weapons to destroy nearly 30 percent of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Drones have proven to be highly effective, according to the statement. Together with Latvia, Great Britain wants to lead an international coalition to build up Ukraine’s drone capabilities.