French authorities are currently investigating the illegal flight of an unidentified drone over a gunpowder and explosives factory owned by the state-owned company Eurenco, located in the city of Bergerac, in the southwest of the country.
The violation occurred on Monday night (10) and was confirmed this Tuesday (11) by Dordogne City Hall, which classified the site as a sensitive installation of strategic interest for the French Armed Forces.
According to information from the agency France-Presse (AFP) and the newspaper The Worldthe drone flew twice over the industrial complex at night, without being intercepted or identified. The police organized searches to locate the operator of the object, but he remains at large. The drone, with a wingspan of around 40 centimeters, came close to two of the unit’s buildings before disappearing.
The Interdepartmental Directorate of the Dordogne National Police opened an investigation into “deliberate overflight of a restricted area by an aircraft pilot”. The company Eurenco, responsible for the production of propellant gunpowder used in howitzers and ammunition for the French Army, said it will file a formal complaint about the case this Wednesday (12).
In a statement, the City Hall highlighted that “the security of the site, classified as sensitive, remains an absolute priority” and that “surveillance and protection measures were reinforced immediately after the incident”.
Founded in 2004, Eurenco is the main European explosives and gunpowder production group, with 1,700 employees and units in France, Belgium and Sweden. The Bergerac complex, reopened in March this year after 20 years, has the capacity to produce up to 1,200 tons of gunpowder per year.
The breach comes amid a series of similar incidents reported in recent weeks at strategic installations in other European countries, including airports and military bases in Belgium, Germany and Poland. In some of these cases, intelligence officials have hypothesized the involvement of foreign state actors, with Russia among the main suspects.
