Drone Incursions in France
Brest, France — On November 11, the French town of Mulhouse, located near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, experienced an unusual event. Around midnight, a local police officer reported seeing an unidentified drone hovering over the police station’s courtyard before moving toward a nearby rail depot.
Shortly after, the drone positioned itself above a military convoy transporting Leclerc main battle tanks, capturing footage of the armored vehicles up close before disappearing into the night.
Authorities have launched an investigation into this illegal overflight of a “restricted defense area,” but so far they have not recovered the drone or identified its operator. The local prosecutor’s office stated that “at this stage, there is no evidence to suggest whether this was a deliberate flight over these areas or simply an accidental overflight by the aircraft during another journey.”
This incident is part of a troubling trend observed across Europe in recent months. Just 48 hours earlier and 500 miles to the west, another drone breached airspace above the Eurenco ammunition and explosives plant in Bergerac, one of France’s most sensitive defense-industrial sites.
The facility produces propellants for artillery shells used by European forces, including ammunition designated for Ukraine.
This time, however, French investigators characterized these flyovers as “deliberate” and “clearly targeted,” raising alarms about drones probing Europe’s military capabilities and their supply factories.
The incidents in France are just one example of a broader surge in mysterious drone activity over NATO territory. In recent months, German authorities have recorded repeated overflights above Ramstein Air Base, Rheinmetall arms factories, and critical energy infrastructure.
While Moscow has denied involvement in these activities, many European officials suspect they are part of a larger hybrid campaign orchestrated by Russia against NATO countries.
Ned Price, a former CIA analyst and State Department spokesman during the Biden administration, remarked that “these are unattributable, asymmetric actions — but the pattern is increasingly clear. Many of these plots and attacks are being carried out at the behest of Russian intelligence services.”
Denmark has also faced similar challenges. On September 22, Copenhagen’s main airport was temporarily shut down after what police described as large drones flying repeatedly through restricted airspace.
In subsequent days, similar UAVs appeared over other strategic locations such as Aalborg and Esbjerg airports and Skrydstrup air base where Denmark’s F-16s are stationed. Danish media reported drones orbiting Skrydstrup for hours without interception.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that “over recent days, Denmark has been the victim of hybrid attacks” and warned that such flights “could multiply.”
