A Spanish military aircraft carrying Defense Minister Margarita Robles was subjected to an attempted GPS jamming while flying over the Baltic Sea near Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave, Spain’s Ministry of Defense reported on Wednesday, citing Reuters.
According to the Europa Press agency, the Airbus A330 belonging to the Spanish Air Force was en route to the Lithuanian city of Šiauliai. Minister Robles was traveling to Lithuania to visit the Spanish military contingent stationed there. On board were also family members of Spanish soldiers from the Vilkas unit, as well as journalists.
Media reports noted that the jamming attempt was unsuccessful, as the aircraft maintained signal reception from a military satellite. “The commander downplayed the incident, explaining that such events are frequent during flights over Kaliningrad, affecting both civilian and military aircraft,” the Spanish agency reported.
The Vilkas unit is a tactical detachment of the Spanish Air Force participating in NATO’s Air Policing-69 mission, which safeguards the airspace over the Baltic states and strengthens the Alliance’s eastern flank.
