Since Sunday, more than 1,600 flights have been affected by mysterious interference, according to experts, raising concerns that Russia may be behind the disturbing phenomenon.
Aircraft flying over and around the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe have experienced technical problems due to GPS signal jams. Since then, 1,614 flights, mostly civilians, have reported problems related to the interference.
Although most of the incidents appear to be in Polish airspace, OSINT (Open Source Intelligence) blogs indicate that aircraft in German, Danish, Swedish, Latvian and Lithuanian airspace have also experienced interference problems.
Interestingly, Russia's staunch allies Belarus and Kaliningrad, a Russian province separated from the mainland by sea and land, have no significant interference.
Affected aircraft appear to interfere with their GPS systems, which can confuse pilots into believing they are somewhere else than they actually are.
Newsweek reported that the increased interference could be attributed to the Kaliningrad region, where Russia is believed to have significant electronic warfare capabilities.
A Lithuanian defense source told the same newspaper: “The Russian military has a wide range of military equipment dedicated to GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) interference, including jamming and spoofing, at different distances, durations and intensities.”
Russia's dominance in electronic warfare should act as a “wake-up call” to the UK armed forces, a leading military expert has suggested.
Dr Melanie Carson, Associate Professor of International Security at University College London, told Forces.net: “Russia, in particular, has the upper hand in this field. Necessity is the mother of invention, and in the last two years, during the war, they have seriously strengthened their capabilities in this field. There is real concern that they have the opportunity to use it more concretely, and that NATO, in particular, does not currently match this capability.
Jean Rhys is a contributor to OE Mag, covering news, politics, business, technology, sport, entertainment, and lifestyle. She focuses on clear, accurate reporting and useful information that helps readers stay informed about current affairs and developments that matter to them. Her work highlights relevant stories, emerging trends, and key issues, presenting them in a balanced, accessible, and reader-friendly way.