Russia has been jamming GPS signals in Syria, affecting U.S. drone operations

U.S. officials are complaining that Russia has started jamming GPS signals in Syria, affecting the operations of some unmanned aerial vehicles.

An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle comes in for a landing at Joint Base Balad, Iraq, Nov. 20. Reapers are remotely piloted and can linger over battlefields, providing persistent strike capabilities to ground force commanders. This Reaper is deployed to the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance and Attack Squadron from Creech Air Force Base, Nev.

The Pentagon cited security concerns when questioned whether such acts had caused drones to crash.

“The U.S. military maintains sufficient countermeasures and protections to ensure the safety of our manned and unmanned aircraft, our forces and the missions they support,” said Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon.