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The Royal Air Force aircraft that experienced a Russian jamming assault while Grant Shapps was on board lacked crucial safeguards because of restrictions on government expenses.
It is thought that Russia disrupted the signal of an RAF aircraft transporting Grant Shapps in an electronic assault that was criticized as highly reckless earlier this week.
According to reports, the plane’s GPS signal was disrupted for 30 minutes as it flew over the Russian region of Kaliningrad, which is situated between Poland and Lithuania.
On Wednesday, the attack occurred while the defence secretary was traveling back from Poland aboard an RAF Dassault 900LX Falcon jet named Envoy. The plane’s route was able to be seen by tracking devices.
Unfortunately, the aircraft did not have protective measures in place because of a limited defense budget at the time it was introduced in 2022.
The government opted to not include certain features such as anti-missile jammers, jam-resistant communications, or military-grade avionics when acquiring the new jets.
The team of the Defence Secretary, The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP, is currently on an RAF Envoy IV CC Mk1.
In 2022, two Dassault 900LX Falcon planes were introduced to replace the previous BAe146 fleet. While the previous aircraft were equipped with necessary protection systems, the new jets did not have them due to budget constraints.
But there have been prior arrangements to enhance the jets with military defenses starting from April 1st, 2024. In December of 2023, it seemed that this plan was put into action with the release of a tender notice valued at approximately £150 million.
A representative from the Ministry of Defence stated that the Envoy aircraft will be fully equipped for military and operational purposes by 2022, as previously announced.
“It is common for aircraft to encounter GPS interference around Kaliningrad. The safety of the aircraft was never jeopardized.”
The RAF originally planned for the planes to be upgraded this year, but the timeline has been delayed until as late as 2026, as reported by The Times.
The incident on Wednesday did not pose a threat to the aircraft’s safety, but it did result in phones being unable to connect to the WiFi onboard. As a result, alternative navigation systems were used by the pilots.
Due to the heightened utilization of drones by Russia and Ukraine during Moscow’s invasion, electronic warfare, specifically jamming, has become more significant.
During the time when the decision to use protective measures on the planes was made, Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, stood by the decision and defended it.
On Friday, while speaking to The Times, he stated that the RAF was already over budget. He chose not to include any additional features as it would have required diverting millions of funds from military initiatives in order to finance a superficial project.
“The aircraft will never travel to unfriendly territories, and if government officials require it, they will use military transportation. There are numerous military vehicles that require security over a VIP jet. This prioritization is entirely flawed.”
According to Tim Ripley, the editor of Defence Eye, he disagrees with the choice and shared with the publication: “These important planes, which transport the royal family, government officials, and military leaders on important missions, are left vulnerable until defense mechanisms are installed.”
Source: independent.co.uk
