Overview
- Five drones were detected around 7:30 p.m. on 4 December over the Île Longue base near Brest, and base protection forces fired to neutralize them.
- Maritime prefect Guillaume Le Rasle said the aircraft were small, unarmed models outside a military context and that sensitive infrastructure was not threatened.
- Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin announced an investigation, which has been assigned to the Rennes military prosecutor.
- Authorities have not yet identified the pilots, with investigators seeking to determine responsibility and motive.
- The episode follows recent sightings over the Crozon peninsula and a wider rise in reports at sensitive Northern European sites, with suspicions voiced but no proven attribution.