Overview
- The Ministry of Defence confirmed that in April Russian Su‑35 and Su‑27 fighters made extremely close passes of an RAF RC‑135W Rivet Joint over the Black Sea, triggering the aircraft’s emergency systems and disabling its autopilot.
- Public flight‑tracking data shows no Rivet Joint flights over the Black Sea since April 21, suggesting a pause in those surveillance sorties as officials limit operational detail.
- Reporting based on defence sources says an RAF Dassault Falcon 900LX carrying Defence Secretary John Healey lost GPS and satellite signals for the full three‑hour return flight from Estonia on May 21, forcing pilots to use inertial (revisionary) navigation and leaving onboard internet unusable.
- The MoD has declined to give operational specifics while reiterating the UK’s commitment to NATO; the incidents have renewed questions about hardening VIP and surveillance aircraft against electronic warfare.
- A wider pattern of GNSS disruption in the Baltic and Black Sea regions previously flagged by ICAO and EASA raises risk of accidents, constrains intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, and could prompt changes to force protection and NATO posture.