Story perspectives

UK RAF Rivet Joint GPS Jammed Near Russia, Secretary Onboard

5/25/2026

Center

Healey Jamming

The aircraft’s GPS was disabled near the Russian border, forcing inertial-only navigation and causing cockpit display glitches.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey was aboard an RAF Rivet Joint that suffered jamming on its three-hour return from Estonia.
A defence source described the jamming as reckless, endangering the aircraft’s systems.
The Ministry of Defence said the RAF is prepared to counter interference and preserve readiness.

Right

Healey Warns Invasion

Healey said British forces have fewer than one-fifth of the required first-person-view drones for operational surveillance.
Defence Secretary John Healey’s Falcon 900LX lost satellite navigation after take-off from Estonia, forcing RAF pilots to use inertial navigation.
A defence source called the Russian electronic jamming reckless and dangerous.
Healey warned that Putin may invade Europe, naming Estonia as a particularly vulnerable NATO target.

Blindspot

Center coverage emphasized the incident in which Russian Su-35 and Su-27 fighters made dangerous passes near a British Rivet Joint over the Black Sea, an angle not mentioned in Right coverage.
Center coverage also noted the Ministry of Defence’s statement that the RAF is prepared to handle such interference, a detail absent from Right coverage.

History

Historical Context

When Russia seized Crimea in February 2014, it moved unmarked troops, set up checkpoints and deployed roughly 1,400 Spetsnaz forces, and cut Ukrainian communications. That operation showed Moscow’s willingness to use electronic disruption, a pattern echoed in 2024 when UK Defence Secretary John Healey’s RAF Rivet Joint lost satellite navigation over Estonia, prompting Russian Su-35 fighters to jam signals. NATO now stresses inertial-only avionics.

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Healey Jamming

The aircraft’s GPS was disabled near the Russian border, forcing inertial-only navigation and causing cockpit display glitches.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey was aboard an RAF Rivet Joint that suffered jamming on its three-hour return from Estonia.
A defence source described the jamming as reckless, endangering the aircraft’s systems.
The Ministry of Defence said the RAF is prepared to counter interference and preserve readiness.

1 / 4