Myanmar resistance drones hit military air base at Mandalay airport

Myanmar's main pro-democracy resistance group said its armed wing carried out drone attacks on a military air base located within the same compound as an international airport serving the country's second-largest city, forcing the airport to close.

The attack is the latest episode in a conflict that has run for more than five years, since the military seized power in February 2021 and removed the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The takeover triggered nationwide peaceful protests, and after security forces responded with lethal force, local armed groups formed and were loosely organised into what is known as the People's Defense Force, or PDF.

The PDF serves as the armed wing of the shadow National Unity Government, which regards itself as the country's legitimate administrative body. A spokesperson for the NUG said the PDF used drones to strike a military air base inside the compound of Tada-U International Airport in Mandalay.

"We only attacked the section of the site where the military aircraft conducting airstrikes against civilians were stationed," the spokesperson said. "We did not attack the civilian airfield site at all."

In a statement posted on Facebook, the PDF said 12 of its units took part in the operation and described the air base as a key air force headquarters used to launch airstrikes against civilians. The group claimed five military personnel, including a colonel, were killed, along with three resistance fighters. The claims could not be independently verified.

The compound, which houses both a military air base and a civilian airport, lies about 30 kilometres (20 miles) southwest of Mandalay.

Videos circulated by Myanmar online media appear to show a drone flying toward one of two fighter jets parked inside a hangar, with the footage cutting out as the drone nears the aircraft, leaving it unclear whether it struck the jet, the netting around it or detonated. Another video appears to show people near the hangar fleeing as a drone approaches.

There was no immediate evidence of damage from the attack, though the military acknowledged that drones had reached one of the country's most heavily guarded locations. The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that six drones launched by the PDF targeted the airport and nearby areas on Thursday afternoon, and that security forces intercepted the drones and disabled the explosives they carried. The report said the attack temporarily disrupted some domestic flights but caused no injuries or damage to vehicles or runways.

Myanmar Airways International said on Facebook on Thursday night that it was suspending all international flights to and from the airport, citing operational reasons. The airport remained shut on Friday.

Two people who operate businesses at the airport said the facility had been closed for two days following the attack. They said they saw no damage to the civilian airport and that operations were expected to resume on Sunday. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared arrest by the military.

Drones have become crucial for resistance forces, which are outmanned and outgunned by Myanmar's military. Initially, smaller drones with lighter payloads were used, but opposition groups are now deploying more sophisticated systems to drop explosives precisely on military targets.