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French military personnel deployed electronic jamming equipment after detecting multiple suspected drones over a heavily fortified naval base housing the country's fleet of nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines, prosecutors announced Friday as they opened an investigation into the security breach.
The incident Thursday evening at the Ile Longue facility marks the latest in a string of mysterious drone overflights targeting airports and sensitive military installations across Europe, raising fresh questions about potential hybrid warfare operations as the continent continues supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
No aircraft were intercepted and no operators identified during the breach at the Brittany peninsula base, which serves as the cornerstone of France's sea-based nuclear deterrent force.
Prosecutor Frederic Teillet said authorities had not established "any link with foreign interference" at this preliminary stage but emphasized investigators must first "confirm whether or not these were drones" and determine "the type and number of devices" involved.
A source close to the investigation told AFP that five drones were detected above the restricted military zone around 1830 GMT Thursday, prompting an immediate response from the marine battalion responsible for base security.
"The marines fired a jammer, not a firearm," Teillet clarified, distinguishing the electronic countermeasures from kinetic weapons systems.
The Ile Longue installation houses all four of France's ballistic missile submarines—Le Triomphant, Le Temeraire, Le Vigilant and Le Terrible. The vessels form the backbone of French nuclear strategy, with at least one maintained on continuous deterrent patrol at sea.
Maritime prefecture spokesman Guillaume Le Rasle said the flights appeared "intended to cause concern among the population" but added that "sensitive infrastructure was not threatened."
Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin emphasized that any overflight of military installations violates French law. "A complaint has been filed, an investigation is underway, and it is this investigation that will determine what this overflight was all about," she told broadcaster TF1, while commending the response by personnel at the base.
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The Crozon peninsula location, which includes Ile Longue, maintains strict no-fly restrictions specifically designed to protect military infrastructure. The facility employs approximately 2,000 personnel, including 1,500 civilians, with security provided by 120 maritime police officers working alongside marine units.
Le Rasle noted that unauthorized drone incursions into the restricted airspace, while serious, are not unprecedented at the site.
France has operated a continuous at-sea nuclear deterrent since 1971. Along with the United Kingdom, it remains one of only two European nations besides Russia to maintain an independent nuclear arsenal. The current submarine fleet carries M51 strategic missiles equipped with multiple nuclear warheads.
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