French authorities have launched an investigation into an unauthorised drone overflight of the nation's nuclear-armed submarine base on the Atlantic coast.
The incident, confirmed by officials on Friday, involved multiple drones detected on Thursday night above the highly sensitive Île Longue base in Brittany, western France.
This strategic facility serves as the home port for France's four nuclear ballistic missile submarines: Le Triomphant, Le Téméraire, Le Vigilant, and Le Terrible.
While French media reported several aerial intruders, military authorities have refrained from disclosing their exact number or type.
Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin confirmed that personnel at the base successfully intercepted the overflight.
However, she did not specify whether this involved firing shots, electronic jamming, or other countermeasures. The identity of those responsible for the incursion remains unclear.
Ms Vautrin stated: "Any overflight of a military site is prohibited in our country. I want to commend the interception carried out by our military personnel at the Île Longue base."
A number of European Union member countries have reported mysterious drone flights in their airspace in recent months. Some led to airport shutdowns, disrupting commercial flights. Others have been detected near or over military facilities.
Russia has been blamed for a number of airspace violations, notably in Estonia and Poland.
Drone warfare exploded following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia has bombarded Ukraine with drone and missile attacks, striking railways, power facilities and cities across the country. Ukraine, in response, has launched daring strikes deep inside Russia using domestically produced drones.
But Europe as a whole is now on high alert after the drone flyovers into Nato’s airspace. Many European leaders have agreed to develop a “drone wall” along their borders to better detect, track and intercept drones violating Europe’s airspace.
In November, Nato military officials said a new US anti-drone system was deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank.
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