Recently, British media reports have indicated that thousands of commercial airline flights in Europe have had their GPS data jammed, with suspicions that Russia is behind the electronic attacks. The Baltic Sea, also known as “NATO Lake” due to recent NATO expansions, has been particularly affected. Nearly 3,800 flights to or from the U.K. have experienced GPS signal disruptions, along with tens of thousands of flights passing over the Baltic Sea from August through March. Russia’s potential involvement in these attacks remains unclear.
In March, a U.K. military aircraft carrying British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps reportedly experienced GPS signal jamming near Kaliningrad. This incident was deemed “not unusual” in the area. Destinations at highest risk of GPS blockages include Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Finland, and Turkey, which is close to the war zone on the Black Sea. Although inaccurate GPS data poses a safety risk for aircraft navigation, airlines have additional systems to track location, minimizing the practical risk of GPS obstruction.
GPS jamming and spoofing—sending fake data to satellites to disrupt signals and provide incorrect location reports—are forms of electronic warfare (EW) used to interfere with GPS and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). This tactic is not unique to Russian attacks, as Israel has also extensively used GPS jamming to counter drone attacks in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Russian military has invested heavily in electronic warfare resources in Kaliningrad, with concerns that civilian aviation in the region will continue to be negatively affected by signal jamming.
Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the GPS signal jamming allegations. While the exact extent of Russia’s involvement in the attacks remains unclear, suspicions persist due to the timing and location of the incidents. The use of electronic warfare to disrupt GPS signals poses challenges for aviation safety, but modern aircraft are equipped with redundant systems to ensure navigation integrity despite potential jamming attempts. Efforts to counter these attacks are ongoing as nations seek to safeguard their airspace and prevent disruptions to commercial flights over the Baltic Sea and other at-risk regions.
