The French Navy Fired Drones Over Its Submarine Base

Five drones were detected over a base in Brittany.

After months of unknown drones arriving in European countries, the military has finally started trying to shoot them down. French sailors have fired on drones detected over a particularly important site where nuclear submarines are based, the Agence France-Presse news agency reported.

Five drones were detected Thursday night over the Île Longue base in Brittany, western France, the gendarmerie (part of the armed forces) told AFP. The submarines based there are equipped with nuclear weapons and are a key element of France's nuclear deterrent. Navy personnel guarding the site opened fire. There is no information on whether the drones were shot down.

The incident did not affect the base's operations, and an investigation has been launched. Drones had already been spotted in the area in November, though not directly over the base, French media reported.

Unidentified drones have also been seen repeatedly in Denmark, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in recent months, including over military installations. At times, this has forced authorities to suspend operations at local airports. European intelligence agencies believe these incidents are part of a hybrid war being waged by Russia, but so far have not been able to shoot down these vehicles to confirm their identity, nor have they been able to find out where they were launched.

Virtually no one has so far mounted an armed response, also because of uncertainty about which services and bodies should respond to such incidents. It was not until late October that Dutch soldiers attacked unidentified drones over a NATO airbase where U.S. nuclear warheads are stored. The drones flew away and could not be traced.

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