More than 1,600 planes hit by mysterious GPS jamming over Europe
More than 1,600 aircraft have experienced disruptions linked to signal jamming, inciting concerns over potential Russian involvement, The Washington Times reported.
The technical issues began Sunday and have primarily affected civilian planes operating around the Baltic Sea’s airspace.
Initial reports indicate that most of these incidents are concentrated in Polish airspace. Yet recent analyses from open-source intelligence forums suggest that similar interference has been troubling flights in the airspaces of Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania.
The pattern of this disturbance led Newsweek to suggest it’s originating from Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave between Poland and Lithuania. Russian forces stationed there are thought to possess equipment capable of disrupting global navigation satellite systems, such as GPS, which are vital for aviation operations.
An unnamed defense official from Lithuania told Newsweek that Russia’s GNSS countermeasures, including jamming and spoofing of signals, vary in reach, duration and strength.
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The apparent technological prowess showcased by these interruptions has raised alarms in military circles. Melanie Garson, an expert in international security from University College London, highlighted to Forces.net the edge that Russia seems to hold in electronic warfare.
“The mother of invention over the last two years during the war have actually actively solidified their capabilities in this regard. They’ve had the chance to use it more concretely, and there’s a real concern that particularly NATO currently doesn’t match that capability,” she said.
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