The Chief of the German Army, Carsten Breuer, has described his own experiences with GPS jamming during flights, following suspicions that a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was deliberately targeted.
Breuer, the Bundeswehr’s highest-ranking general, revealed that he had encountered GPS jamming once during a flight over the Baltic Sea and again while attending a military exercise in Lithuania.
“Pilots usually have the ability to bypass such interference,” he said.
He added that it was unclear whether the jamming in those cases specifically targeted his aircraft or was part of a broader campaign.
“At present, we are under continuous sabotage and espionage, as well as subject to hybrid influences and actions, which very often can be traced back to state actors—and in many cases, to Russia,” Breuer stressed.
The Inspector of the German Navy, Christian Kaack, also confirmed that GPS disruptions are common against both military and civilian targets.
A spokesperson for the European Commission confirmed that Von der Leyen’s plane had experienced GPS interference during a flight to Bulgaria. Bulgarian authorities suspect that Russia was behind the attack.
