A drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in Malmö harbor on Wednesday. The Swedish Armed Forces detected the suspicious flight and jammed it using electronic warfare. The incident is under investigation as a possible violation of Swedish airspace, with suspicions of Russian involvement.
On Wednesday, a drone approached the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, docked in Malmö harbor. According to the Armed Forces, the drone was about ten kilometers from the ship, though other sources report up to 13 kilometers. The defense confirmed in a press release that a suspicious drone flight was detected and measures were taken to jam it using electronic warfare.
The incident occurred while a Russian military vessel was in the Öresund on Swedish territorial waters. Defense Minister Pål Jonson (M) commented to SVT News: “Likely a violation of Swedish airspace by a drone. It happened in connection with a Russian military vessel in the Öresund on Swedish territorial waters.”
Oscar Jonsson, PhD in Russian warfare at the Swedish Defence University, praises the Armed Forces for the swift action. “It’s a good sign for the Armed Forces that they managed to jam it, even at such long distances. This was over a mile,” he says. Jonsson assesses it as most likely a reconnaissance drone aimed at intelligence gathering and provocation. It remains unclear what happened to the drone afterward—it may have sunk in the water or returned to the suspected Russian vessel.
The defense is now investigating whether the incident constitutes a violation of access regulations. Electronic warfare, which involves disrupting an adversary's communications within the electromagnetic spectrum, has grown in importance since Russia's attack on Ukraine.
