Russia could be using a top secret electronic weapon to disrupt aircraft and ship GPS systems, experts have warned, as thousands of British holiday flights are believed to have fallen victim to ‘extremely dangerous’ signal jamming attacks.

Military chiefs have warned over recent months that a system known as Tobol, based in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, could be interfering with signals on planes and boats, causing them to ‘malfunction’.

It emerged last night that passenger jets appear to have faced GPS jamming and spoofing, which interferes with wireless communication systems and uses fake signals to trick pilots into believing the aircraft is in a different location than it is.

The European Aviation Safety Agency warned back in January that authorities had seen a ‘sharp rise’ in jamming and spoofing ‘attacks’, but did not say who was behind them.

Soon after, an RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its signal jammed as it flew near to Kaliningrad – with insiders blaming Russia for what they called a ‘wildly irresponsible’ attack.

Aircraft logs have revealed jamming hotspots in the Baltic region, Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean, with a map showing where attacks are alleged to have taken place 

Vladimir Putin’s forces have been accused of using a secret weapon to jam GPS signals

A defence source reportedly said at the time: ‘While the RAF are well prepared to deal with this, it still puts an unnecessary risk on civilian aircraft and could potentially endanger people’s lives.’

The anticipated threat to civilian aircraft appears to have been borne out, with The Sun reporting yesterday that 46,000 flights logged satellite navigation (satnav) issues over the Baltic region between August and March.

Among those were 2,309 Ryanair flights, 1,368 Wizz Air flights, 82 British Airways flights and four EasyJet flights.

The electronic weapon suspected of causing disruptions to aircraft in the area is likely based in Russia’s military site in Kaliningrad, a Russian territory between Lithuania and Poland, according to Western intelligence findings. 

It is reported to be a large satellite dish, though images circulating on social media claiming to show the device have not been verified. Aerial shots shows the suspected site.

There has been disruption to the GPS guidance of air and sea traffic in Finland, the Baltic states and Poland, in recent months, according to Estonia’s military chief. 

‘What we have seen is a malfunctioning of GPS for ships and air traffic,’ General Martin Harem, commander of the Estonian Defence Forces, told the Telegraph.

‘And we really do not know if they [Russia] want to achieve something or just practice and test their equipment.’

The fixed jamming system in Kaliningrad is said to be one of around ten such facilities across Russia. Pictured: A photo believed to show the site

It is reported to be a large satellite dish, though images circulating on social media claiming to show the device have not been verified. An aerial shot shows the suspected site

Now aircraft logs have reportedly revealed jamming hotspots in the Baltic region, Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean, with a map showing where attacks are alleged to have taken place.

Tobol is likely to work by transmitting a signal on the same frequency as the jet or ships’ satellites, known as downlink jamming, preventing them from receiving the legitimate signal, The Washington Post reports citing an expert on the programme.

While the fixed jamming system in Kaliningrad is said to be one of around ten such facilities across Russia, its strategic position near Ukraine, along with another site in Crimea and one outside Moscow, makes it suitable for ‘offensive’ as well as ‘defensive’ operations.

Brian Weeden, director of program planning at the Secure World Foundation, said that if Tobol is capable of analysing signals and broadcasting counter-signals, ‘you can probably use those same capabilities to offensively interfere with somebody else’s satellite.’

This the flight path that Mr Shapps’ plane took before it was hit by a Russian cyber attack just outside Kaliningrad

An RAF plane carrying Defence Secretary Grant Shapps had its signal jammed as it flew near to Kaliningrad 

Dr Jack Watling, a war expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, told The Sun that Russia has ‘long used GPS jamming as a harassment tool’ and that the country is ‘projecting it across Nato borders’.

‘Wherever there is a large Russian garrison you are seeing GPS denial and there is one in Kaliningrad,’ he said. ‘They just have that stuff switched on because there are standing orders.’

An expert in electronic warfare said the satellite dish could be used to disrupt GPS technology in several directions, which could protect Kaliningrad from potential incoming missiles.

RUSI’s Dr Thomas Withington told the Telegraph earlier this year that the device was likely used as a defensive weapon due to Putin’s fears over GPS-led weapons available to other countries.

Causing a GPS disruption in these usually highly accurate missiles could result in them missing their target.

However, if the weapon is used against civilian rather than military targets, it can wreak havoc for commercial airliners.

Recently there have been reports of planes suddenly dropping off tracking sites – likely due to their GPS being disrupted.

Experts warned that if the same happens to ships, they could collide due to not being able to see each other on navigation systems.

While vessels have other means of navigation available, it would be a cause of concern if these systems are down, Dr Withington explained.

Any long-lasting GPS disruption could cause chaos in logistics as delivery drivers rely on them to reach their destinations. 

The fixed jamming system is called Tobol and it is said to be one of around ten facilities in use across Russia. It reportedly looks like a large satellite dish, but the images circulating on social media claiming to show the device could not be verified

Gen Harem said: ‘Whatever they [Russia] do here, one aim is to degrade our stability, self-confidence, our trust to the West, unity and cohesion.’ 

Just hours after the electronic warfare attack on Mr Shapps’ plane, the UK, the US and NATO’s newest member Sweden sent electronic surveillance aircraft to the Baltic. 

The threat posed by Russian electromagnetic and electronic warfare is not restricted to the airspace surrounding Kaliningrad.

The Kremlin has stationed similar jamming systems in Syria in a bid to jam unprotected aircraft as well as across Russia.