German Military Chief Confirms GPS Jamming After EU Plane Incident
Germany’s Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, Carsten Breuer, has said he has experienced GPS jamming during flights, comments that come after an aircraft carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was reportedly hit by deliberate interference.
Breuer told reporters he encountered GPS disruption once while flying over the Baltic Sea and once during a visit to a military exercise in Lithuania. He said that, in most cases, pilots are able to work around such interference.
It remains unclear whether the incidents affecting his flights were directed at his aircraft specifically or were part of a broader campaign.
“We are currently under constant sabotage and espionage, and we are also subject to hybrid influence and hybrid actions, which we can very often trace back to state actors and, in many cases, to Russia,” Breuer said.
Navy Inspector Christian Kaack added that GPS interference is increasingly common and affects both military and civilian targets.
A European Commission spokeswoman said von der Leyen’s plane experienced interference during a flight to Bulgaria on Sunday. Bulgarian authorities subsequently told the Commission they suspect the disruption was “carried out by Russia,” the spokeswoman said.
