With the media accusing Russia of jamming, the plane with British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps was not equipped with the necessary protection due to the military leadership’s decision to cut costs due to lack of defense funding. TV channel reports this ITV.
March 14, British newspaper The Times WroteRussian electronic warfare (EW) equipment allegedly jammed the satellite signal of an RAF aircraft on which Shapps and a group of journalists were flying from Poland back to the UK.
According to ITV, the plane carrying Shapps was not equipped with special systems such as protection against communications interference due to a decision by the minister’s predecessor, Ben Wallace, to save hundreds of millions of pounds.
According to The Times, British ministers had previously flown with BAe 146 aircraft, which had all the necessary equipment for protection, but former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to stop using them as part of cost-saving measures. Wallace hoped to purchase cheaper, used aircraft, but the only option was two new business jets purchased without restraint systems.
The newspaper wrote that the British government later announced that the new aircraft would be equipped with protective systems, but these plans were postponed until 2026.
It was previously reported that the Russian army subdued GPS signal in half of Poland and the Suwalki corridor.