French authorities have opened a judicial investigation into an unauthorised drone entry into a major naval base in Toulon.
The Marine Nationale (French Navy) reported that the illegal drone operations were detected during a military exercise near France’s main naval base.
In a statement on Thursday, the Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture said that the incident triggered local counter-drone systems in coordination with French domestic security forces.
Drone incursion
The Toulon naval base houses the majority of France’s naval power, including the country’s 42,000-tonne Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier and several nuclear-powered submarines.
In a report by local radio station Ici Provence, the restricted airspace of Toulon saw an unsanctioned flight of large drones of an unknown type at night.
French authorities easily spotted the hostile drones, following a large-scale military exercise in the vicinity from October 5 to 16.
The Typhon military exercises incidentally focused on aerial drone response operations, synchronising France’s surface fleet, drones, and land forces to protect military installations and internal infrastructure.
The exercises also covered 10 nearby municipalities, with the most intense activities held from October 13 to 15.
While the incident did not threaten critical infrastructure, the French government maintained that unsanctioned drone flights near and over local naval bases are strictly prohibited.
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Rising aerial intrusions
This is not the first drone incursion into a no-fly zone in Toulon.
In March 2024, a local drone operator was apprehended after flying a drone near the naval base on Quai Kronstadt.
The Swedish Armed Forces also spotted and eliminated a drone flying near the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle in February this year. It accused the Russian intelligence ship Zhigulyovsk of launching the drone while transiting the Öresund Strait.
Other escalating drone intrusions have been blamed on Russia.
In August this year, drones armed with explosives approached a Ukrainian transport plane on a tarmac at the Leipzig Airport, prompting German intelligence to thwart the potential attack.
German intelligence identified a Russian sabotage unit as the one behind the drone operation.
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