The plane carrying Robles to Lithuania suffers an attempt to jam its GPS while passing over Kaliningrad

The Diplomat The Air Force A330 aircraft on which Defense Minister Margarita Robles was traveling this Wednesday, bound for the Siauliai air base (Lithuania), suffered an attempt to jam its GPS while passing over Kaliningrad, as confirmed by the Minister of Defense herself and reported by Europa Press and Efe. The attempt to disable the GPS of the militarized plane—which took place while flying at an altitude of 40,000 feet and approximately 60 kilometers from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad—did not affect the flight because these aircraft are equipped with a more sophisticated and secure military navigation system than those used by civil aviation, which allows them to receive directions from a military satellite, according to Defense sources. A commander on board has downplayed the incident and explained that these types of incidents are common when flying over Kaliningrad, both in civilian and military aircraft. Also traveling on the plane were family members of the Spanish military personnel (Air Force and Space Force personnel) deployed to the "Vilkas" Aerotactical Detachment (DAT) at Siauliai Air Base. Robles traveled to Lithuania to visit the Spanish contingent deployed there, consisting of more than 150 Air Force and Space Force aviators and eight Eurofighter fighter jets, stationed at the aforementioned base and integrated into NATO's Baltic Air Policing mission. The minister's visit comes after several allied countries, including Lithuania, have reported violations of their airspace by Russian drones or aircraft, prompting the NATO Security Council to hold consultations on two occasions. Robles' visit included a bilateral meeting with her Lithuanian counterpart, Dovilë Sakalienë. At the subsequent press conference, Margarita Robles confirmed the attempt to "jam" the plane's GPS, an incident that, she warned, "will in no way break the will of Spain or any of the NATO countries to continue working for peace and living together in peace." Furthermore, the minister demanded "the right for all of us to move and fly freely within European territory without, as we experienced this morning, interference from anyone who knows who." For her part, Dovilë Sakalienë denounced at the press conference that "many civilian aircraft have been suffering these attacks for several weeks." "We must be aware that the threat is real," the Lithuanian minister warned.

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