France’s Navy has confirmed that unauthorised drones were detected near and above military sites around Toulon during Exercise Typhon, prompting the opening of a judicial investigation. The incidents occurred in the restricted airspace protecting France’s main naval base as the joint exercise trained military and internal-security forces to defend the port and surrounding installations. Counter-drone measures were activated after each detection.
Typhon ran from 5 to 16 October and involved land, air and maritime activity around the Toulon naval base and neighbouring areas. The unauthorised flights were separate from the exercise’s approved drone operations.
Secondary reporting placed the incidents between 9 and 13 October and identified the naval base, a Directorate-General for Armament site in Toulon and the 54th Artillery Regiment at Hyères among the affected locations. Authorities have not confirmed the number or models of the drones, identified their operators or established whether any aircraft entered the naval base itself. Reports of several relatively large drones and the use of electromagnetic jamming have not been fully detailed by the authorities, and no drone was recovered.
The LF-P 62 restricted zone covers much of the Toulon area from the surface to approximately flight level 195. Unauthorised drone flights near or above military facilities are prohibited and may lead to prosecution. The investigation will examine whether the incursions involved deliberate surveillance, recreational activity or another form of intrusion.