A NUMBER of drones have been spotted flying over a French military airbase.
It comes just hours after four Danish airports were forced to shut down after the devices buzzed overhead.
4
4
The drones were spotted over a military base in Marne, north eastern France, on Sunday evening.
Security measures have been put in place after the “exceptional” event above the Mourmelon-le-Grand base, authorities said.
The small devices were not “piloted by military personnel” and there is currently no evidence to suggest this could be foreign interference, they added.
Last year, Ukrainian personnel received training on the base – known as the Champagne task force.
It comes just a day after Aalborg Airport in Denmark was closed indefinitely after drones were spotted circling above.
Martin Svendsen, sales and marketing director at the airport, at the time said: “It is correct that the airspace is closed because drones have been observed.
“I can confirm that the police are present.”
North Jutland Police posted on X: “Drones have been observed near Aalborg Airport and the airspace is closed.
“The police are present and investigating further.”
At least three flights were diverted — two back to Copenhagen and one from Amsterdam rerouted to Billund — after the sudden lockdown.
It is not yet known how many drones there are or where they came from.
Aalborg sits in northern Denmark’s Jutland region and ranks as the country’s fourth-biggest city by population.
Danish authorities said they reached out to Nato and considered triggering Article 4.
This is a clause in Nato’s founding treaty which states all allies must come together when the security or territory of one is threatened.
Peter Hummelgaard, Denmark’s justice minister, said the country was facing “hybrid threats” which are “here to stay”.
He said authorities are working around the clock to find out who launched the drones and why they were sent out.
When asked about Russian involvement, Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen today said there is no evidence yet that Russia is behind the drone incursions.
He said that the drones were launched “locally” by a “professional actor” – though he added that this different from previous incidents.
The defence chief said: “There can be no doubt that everything points to this being the work of a professional actor when we are talking about such a systematic operation in so many locations at virtually the same time.
“This is what I would define as a hybrid attack using different types of drones.”
4