Spanish Defence Minister’s Plane Targeted By Suspected Russian Gps Jamming

Spain’s Defence Minister Margarita Robles had an unsettling formation connected Wednesday, september 24 erstwhile nan subject level carrying her to Lithuania was deed by suspected Russian GPS jamming.

The Airbus A330 MRTT, 1 of nan Spanish Air and Space Force’s astir precocious aircraft, was flying complete nan Baltic Sea astatine astir 40,000 feet erstwhile nan alarms began to sound. Every 15 seconds, nan strategy warned of attempts to interfere pinch nan plane’s navigation.

Alarm bells successful nan cabin

On committee pinch Robles was Lieutenant Colonel Arjona, nan formation commander, who later explained what happened to nan property travelling pinch nan minister.

“If we didn’t person subject GPS correct now, we’d beryllium mislaid and wouldn’t cognize wherever we were,” he said bluntly. Civilian craft trust connected weaker systems that could person been knocked retired completely.

Even Robles, seated astatine nan beforehand of nan aircraft, could perceive nan informing alarm. Despite nan unnerving situation, nan level carried connected safely and landed without incident astatine Šiauliai Air Base successful Lithuania, wherever Spanish forces are taking portion successful NATO’s Baltic aerial policing mission.

Not nan first incident

The Baltic skies person go a regular arena for physics interference. Just a fewer weeks ago, nan level carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen knowledgeable a akin section successful nan aforesaid area.

Kaliningrad, nan heavy militarised Russian enclave betwixt Poland and Lithuania, is good known for its physics warfare capabilities. Pilots person reported GPS disruptions location for years, but since Russia’s penetration of Ukraine, specified incidents person go acold much frequent.

Lt. Col. Arjona said these kinds of attempts are now “routine” successful nan region. Defence analysts agree, pointing retired that GPS jamming is portion of a wider strategy to trial NATO’s readiness without engaging directly.

A show of resilience

The Spanish Air and Space Force stressed that nan jamming wasn’t needfully aimed straight astatine Robles’s aircraft, but was portion of broader interference successful nan area.

The A330 MRTT is nary mean carrier plane. Converted from a commercialized Airbus astatine Airbus Defence and Space accommodation successful Getafe, it’s fitted pinch reinforced connection systems, subject GPS and aerial refuelling equipment. It’s built to header pinch precisely this type of threat.

Robles pressed connected pinch her sojourn to Lithuania, gathering Spanish troops and reaffirming Madrid’s committedness to NATO.

Why it matters

What happened connected Wednesday highlights nan increasing usage of invisible weapons successful modern conflicts. No missiles, nary combatant jets — conscionable a scramble of outer signals that tin confuse pilots, disrupt operations and nonstop a governmental signal.

For NATO, it’s different informing that nan frontline isn’t only connected nan crushed successful Ukraine. It stretches crossed nan skies of Europe, wherever moreover regular flights tin move into tests of resilience.

Spain’s connection was clear: its forces are equipped, trained and fresh to proceed their mission, alarms aliases not.