Again – drones fly over sensitive French military site

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Aviation enthusiasts or someone that wants to gather intelligence about French military installations? This is the question the French security organizations are trying to answer.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has been spotted over a sensitive military site south-west of Paris, a source close to the enquiry said today, the latest in a series of over flights that has stumped authorities.

The UAS (unmanned aerial system) was seen late Saturday over a base in Seine-Port, from which France’s navy communicates with its submarines.

According to the Business Standard, drones have been seen over several high-profile areas of the French capital in recent weeks, as Paris remains on high alert after three gunmen killed 17 in three days in January.

Mysterious sightings have been made near the US embassy, not far from the Invalides Military Museum, the Eiffel Tower and several major main roads leading in and out of the French capital, police said.

French Police have been unable to catch any of the operators of the night-time flights and it is unclear whether they are the work of pranksters, tourists or something more malicious.

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French authorities were first alerted to mystery drone flyovers in October, when state-run power company EDF filed a complaint with police after detecting the small aerial vehicles zipping over seven atomic plants across the country.

The sightings continued into November, and altogether some 20 flyovers took place over nuclear plants. Their operators were never found.

Then on January 20, a pilotless aircraft briefly flew over the presidential palace in Paris, shortly after the jihadist killings.

And in late January, small drones were also spotted near a bay in Brittany that houses four nuclear submarines. This is one of the most protected sites in the whole of France.

These drones in and of themselves may very well turn out to be benign. Nevertheless, the prevailing concern is that they might be part of intelligence gathering by as-yet to be unmasked parties. Even if it all turns out to be a hoax, it could still inspire less than lawful acts, or worse.