Russian secret electronic weapon playing havoc with airliners’ GPS
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A highly secret Russian electronic warfare system is interfering with the GPS guidance of airliners and ships on Nato’s eastern flank.
A surge in disruption had been detected in an area stretching all the way from Finland, through the Baltic states and Poland, Estonia’s military chief told The Telegraph.
“What we have seen is a malfunctioning of GPS for ships and air traffic,” said General Martin Harem, commander of the Estonian Defence Forces.
“And we really do not know if they [Russia] want to achieve something or just practise and test their equipment.”
He added: “But definitely, nobody should behave like this, especially when you’re at war with a neighbouring country.”
Estonia is the first member of the Nato military alliance to directly call out the Kremlin over the disruption.
Western intelligence suggests Russia has deployed a large, fixed jamming system named Tobol to its military exclave Kaliningrad, which is nestled between Lithuania and Poland.
There are believed to be fewer than 10 of the advanced electronic warfare systems in operation across the country, including the one stationed in the outpost.
There have been reports of commercial airliners suddenly dropping off tracking sites, as well as warnings that ships could collide if they lose connection to the satellites.
