France’s naval forces opened fire after multiple unidentified drones were detected over one of the nation’s most sensitive nuclear installations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
French military authorities have launched a judicial investigation after several unidentified drones were detected flying over the Île Longue submarine base in Finistère—home to France’s nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines—on Thursday evening. The incident prompted a swift defensive response from naval personnel and raised fresh concerns over potential security breaches involving unmanned aerial systems.
According to Le Monde, five drones were sighted above the restricted military zone around 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Naval troops from the Marine Battalion reportedly fired anti-drone jamming systems in response, triggering a full activation of air defense protocols.
“The French Navy confirmed that air defense units were activated last night at around 7:30 p.m. after five unidentified drones entered restricted airspace over the Île Longue nuclear submarine base,” Defense Intelligence stated in an online update.
Commander Guillaume Le Rasle, spokesman for the Atlantic Maritime Prefecture, told Agence France-Presse that “sensitive infrastructure was not threatened” but confirmed that countermeasures were deployed to neutralize the drones.
By Friday evening, Rennes prosecutor Frédéric Teillet said that no drones had been shot down and no operators had been identified. “No link with foreign interference is therefore made,” Teillet said, clarifying that marines had “fired a jammer and not a firearm” during the counter-drone operation.
“It is too early to characterize the origin of the drones,” Le Rasle added, noting that the activity appeared “intended to worry the population.”
GeoInsider separately reported that five drones were confirmed over the site, describing the incident as an “anti-drone operation to protect the SSBNs central to France’s nuclear deterrent during a counter-drone operation near Brest harbor.”
The Île Longue base, located off the Brittany coast, is the nerve center of France’s strategic nuclear submarine fleet and among the most heavily guarded facilities in Europe. Its restricted airspace has been repeatedly reinforced following earlier waves of unidentified drone activity near nuclear plants across France.
While investigators have yet to determine the origin or intent of the latest incursions, the Rennes military prosecutor’s office will oversee the inquiry. Authorities say the operation underscores the growing challenge of drone incursions against high-security sites, where even small UAVs can trigger national-level alerts.
As of Friday, defense officials maintained that “all strategic assets remain secure” and that airspace surveillance has been heightened across all French nuclear installations.
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