Spanish defense minister's plane hit by GPS attack near Kaliningrad
Photo: Spanish Defense Minister, Margarita Robles (Getty Images)
A Spanish military aircraft carrying the country's Defense Minister, Margarita Robles, experienced an attempt to interfere with the GPS. The incident occurred near Kaliningrad, according to DEMOCRATA.ES.
Robles was flying on an A330 to the Šiauliai airbase in Lithuania. On Wednesday, the aircraft was subjected to an attempt to interfere with its GPS system while flying over Kaliningrad.
“The incident, which was aimed at disabling the military aircraft's GPS, had no consequences, as the aircraft is equipped to receive signals from a military satellite. One of the commanders present noted that such attempts are common in this area and affect both civilian and military flights,” the media writes.
In addition to the minister, relatives of VILKAS personnel and journalists were on board the aircraft during the flight. The trip included a meeting with the Lithuanian defense minister to strengthen cooperation with NATO and counter Russia's actions.
Russia blocks GPS
Last year, we wrote about GPS signal disruptions being recorded over European countries. The likely cause was Russia's use of an electronic warfare base in the Kaliningrad region.
Very high levels of GPS jamming were recorded in northern and eastern Poland, including Warsaw and south to the city of Łódź. Estonia stated that Russia was responsible for GPS signal disruptions in the Baltic Sea region.
On August 31, the plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made an emergency landing in Bulgaria. The pilots lost navigation due to possible interference from Russian systems jamming GPS signals.
European Commission spokeswoman Arianna Podestà confirmed that Ursula von der Leyen's plane had experienced GPS jamming.
