The government plane carrying the UK Defence Secretary John Hill lost the Global Positioning System (GPS) signal while flying near the Russian border.
This claim was reported by "The Times" newspaper.
The publication's journalist accompanied the minister on a visit to the area where British troops are stationed in southeastern Estonia, together with military advisers, an unnamed general, and two photographers.
According to the newspaper, on May 21, while returning to the UK, the "Dassault Falcon 900LX" plane's satellite signal was cut off. The article notes that the connection could only be restored by restarting the system, but since the plane was in the air, this step was not taken. As a result, the pilot had to use an inertial navigation system that does not require external signals during the three-hour flight.
The publication highlights that during this incident, the plane's control panel partially ceased functioning, and the passengers' computers were not connected to the internet.
In March 2024, the plane of Hill's predecessor as Defence Secretary, Grant Shepp, also lost the GPS signal while flying near Kaliningrad.
According to a later report by "The Daily Telegraph," the plane was not protected from the effects of radioelectronic warfare (REW) tools in order to save costs.
At that time, the press wrote that two "Dassault 900LX" planes purchased in 2021 for the needs of the UK government, military command, and the royal family were decided not to be equipped with many defense systems to save up to £200 million (270 million dollars). A year later, this decision was reconsidered.
In 2024, it was expected that the planes would be provided with their own REW tools to protect against missiles and equipped with military-type avionics resistant to interference. However, it was not possible to complete the necessary work on time. At that time, the publication wrote that the re-equipment of both planes would be completed in 2026, but it is unclear whether this was ultimately executed. // Oxu.az