On Thursday afternoon, five drones were detected over the Ile Longue submarine base in Brittany in western France, a strategic military facility where ballistic missile submarines are stationed, AFP reported, citing the French the gendarmerie, which is part of the armed forces. The submarines stationed at the base are equipped with nuclear weapons and constitute a key element of France's nuclear deterrent.
How many drones were flying over the submarine base in France?
Were the drones shot down by the Navy?
What facilities are stationed at the Ile Longue base?
When have previous drone incidents in this area occurred?
According to the agency, the French Navy responsible for protecting the base opened fire. It is unclear whether the drones were shot down.
Local authorities told AFP that a legal investigation had been launched and that the incident had no impact on base operations.
According to French media reports, drones were already seen in the area last month, although not directly over the base. This place was “haunted” by drones long before the invasion of Ukraine.
Thursday's incident is the latest in a series of recent drone incursions into NATO airspace. In recent months, unmanned aircraft have circled sensitive military installations and civilian infrastructure across Europe, including in Belgium, Germany, Denmark and Norway.
In September, Poland's military sent fighter jets to shoot down Russian-origin drones in what was widely seen as an escalation of Russian President Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against Europe.
French authorities have not yet commented on the suspicious origin of the drones that appeared over the military facility on Thursday.
