Spanish Defense Minister’s Plane Targeted by Suspected Russian Spoofing Attempt

A military aircraft carrying Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles to Lithuania experienced a GPS disruption while flying over Russia’s Kaliningrad.

The Gaze reports this, referring to Spanish daily El Mundo.

The Airbus A330 operated by Spain’s Air and Space Force was en route to the Šiauliai airbase in Lithuania on Wednesday when the interference occurred. 

The crew reported an attempt to divert the aircraft’s course through GPS spoofing – a tactic increasingly observed on both commercial and military flights over the Russian exclave.

The attempt was unsuccessful, as the aircraft was guided by a secure military satellite system. Robles is scheduled to meet Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė later the same day.

The incident comes amid growing concern in Europe over disruptions to the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). 

Thirteen EU member states recently urged the European Commission to take countermeasures against such interference.

Earlier this year, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s aircraft was forced to rely on paper maps during a flight to Bulgaria after GPS systems failed. 

Back then, Bulgaria’s interior minister Daniel Mitov said Moscow’s denials of involvement in the serious navigation incident affecting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane are meaningless.

As The Gaze previously reported, the Baltic states have sounded the alarm over a surge in electronic warfare activity, accusing Russia of dramatically intensifying radio and satellite interference along NATO’s eastern flank.