160 planes lost their GPS in a single day after Russia jammed flights in Europe

At least 160 planes flying near Russia’s borders experienced “spoofing” of onboard GPS systems on the same day that Defence Secretary John Healey’s flight was disrupted.

Three of those were planes that flew into or out of UK airports in London and Manchester, analysis of publicly available flight-tracking data shows.

Security experts warn that UK commercial flights are increasingly at risk of Russian signal jamming and spoofing which could prevent aircrafts transmitting locations while flying across Europe and Asia this summer.

More than one million flights experienced some form of GPS interference between 2021 and 2024, according to an analysis of flight logs by the website GPSJAM.org.

It comes as Vladimir Putin’s greyzone warfare continues to test western resolve. Through proxies and co-ordinated intelligence operations, the Kremlin has launched periodic attacks on UK critical infrastructure and targeted misinformation campaigns, emboldened illicit operations in UK waters, and supported critical cyber attacks.

While the RAF was prepared to deal with the incident involving Healey, it has intensified concerns among security officials that military-grade electronic warfare could impact civilian airspace.

GPS jamming can not only hamper navigation but cut off any linked software on a plane, including alerts and early warning systems.

Signal jamming blocks GPS signals, causing a plane to lose connection. Spoofing, another type of interference, is when ground-based transmitters feed fake signals to an aircraft’s navigation systems, tricking it into displaying the wrong location or time.

The three flights to and from the UK that were jammed last Thursday experienced spoofing, showing their location miles away from the plane’s actual position, while flying near or through Russian airspace.

Security experts warn that electronic signals, suspected to be stemming from Russian territory, are increasingly causing blackouts to essential software on planes close to the country’s borders and risking potentially catastrophic flight diversions into active warzones.

A Whitehall cyber security source said that since then, GPS interference has been “a growing issue” driven by the increased use of GPS-guided drones and missiles in conflicts stretching from Ukraine to the Middle East.

“There is now a huge arc from the Baltic Sea down to the Horn of Africa where it is regularly an issue,” the source told The i Paper. “For commercial flights it can cause diversions around affected areas or, in extremis, landing elsewhere.”

Increase in interference

Electronic warfare systems using jammers can block, degrade or distort global positioning system signals (GPS) that are relied upon by aircraft navigation systems. Spoofing can give an aircraft false positioning data, potentially misleading crews about their exact location.

While commercial aircraft are equipped with backup navigation systems and pilots are trained to operate without GPS, aviation analysts say the rapid increase in interference is creating mounting operational and safety pressures.

Last year, an aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen experienced GPS signal disruption during a flight to Bulgaria, forcing the crew to revert to paper charts to land safely. EU and Bulgarian officials suspect Russian interference behind the incident.

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

The Baltic region has become a particular hotspot. Airlines and pilots operating around Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have repeatedly reported outages. Scandinavian carriers have also warned of intermittent disruptions over the Baltic Sea.

A ‘grey warfare’ tool

Signal interruptions are believed to stem mainly from a suspected Russian GPS jammer located in Kaliningrad. First positioned in the region as a cost-effective missile defence system, the jammer has been used to launch suspected grey zone warfare on aircraft and ships in the region.

Jamming systems are relatively cheap compared with missile defence systems and can provide an effective shield against incoming drones, cruise missiles and precision-guided weapons. By disrupting satellite navigation, military operators can disable or divert attacks without launching interceptors.

Paul Kendall, a defence consultant and former Ministry of Defence strategist, warned that the Kremlin also sees electronic interference as a useful “grey warfare” tool. They said it was hostile enough to exert pressure on adversaries, but below the threshold likely to trigger direct retaliation.

“Jamming is a hostile act, but what are we going to do about it? We aren’t going to bomb jammers in Russian territory. Russia knows it can push us further.”

He added: “If we get to a point where spoofing and jamming is normal it could set a dangerous precedent for European security.”

What are the risks

Modern aircraft depend on GPS not only for navigation, but also for synchronising critical onboard systems, providing precise timing signals used throughout aircraft electronics and communications networks.

“The Baltic states and Scandinavia, you’re now seeing GPS interference happen, and this has impacted take-offs and landings at airports,” said Matthew Borie, chief intelligence officer at Osprey Flight Solutions. “They’re having to rely on more traditional forms of navigation.”

Experts warn that in degraded conditions, particularly poor weather or congested airspace, the loss of satellite guidance increases cockpit workload and operational risk. They warn that severe spoofing could potentially push aircraft unknowingly toward dangerous routes or conflict zones.

On 25 December 2024, Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243, an Embraer 190 travelling from Baku to Grozny, crashed near Aktau in Kazakhstan after suffering what investigators described as “external interference”.

According to investigations into the incident, the aircraft first experienced jamming and then GPS spoofing as it approached Grozny. Without a functioning navigation system, the crew attempted two approaches in worsening weather before deciding to divert.

As the aircraft departed the Grozny area, it was struck by a missile. The damaged jet crossed the Caspian Sea before crash-landing near Aktau. 38 people were killed, while 29 survived. Azerbaijan and Russia have since reached a settlement confirming the crash resulted from an “unintentional action” of an air-defense system in Russian airspace.

Pilots are now receiving additional training for GPS-denied environments, while aircraft manufacturers and navigation providers are investing in alternative positioning technologies.