Myanmar's main pro-democracy resistance group, the National Unity Government, announced that its armed wing carried out drone attacks on the airport and a military headquarters in Naypyitaw, the capital city. The Defense Ministry of the National Unity Government stated that special units of the People’s Defense Force used drones to target the locations simultaneously. The People's Defense Force is a coalition of local resistance groups operating independently.
Reports from the National Unity Government indicated casualties resulting from the drone attacks, while the country's ruling military claimed to have intercepted and destroyed seven drones without any reported casualties. Independent verification of the details of the attack remains challenging.
Myanmar has been embroiled in turmoil since the military coup in February 2021, which ousted the elected civilian government. The ensuing nationwide protests were met with violent suppression by security forces, leading to an escalation of armed resistance resembling a civil war.
The airport compound, situated southwest of the military headquarters, was the primary target of the drone attacks. The resistance group responsible for the assault, Kloud Team, specializes in drone warfare, a tactic frequently utilized by the People’s Defense Force due to its limited heavy firepower compared to the military.
Kloud Team claimed to have targeted the residence of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the ruling military council, along with the military headquarters and air base. Despite the military's superior resources, it has struggled to suppress the resistance movement, resorting to air strikes in contested areas. The conflict has resulted in approximately 2.4 million people being displaced since the coup.
Drones have emerged as critical tools for the resistance forces, initially using smaller drones with lighter payloads and progressing to more sophisticated systems capable of delivering explosives on military targets. Resistance groups frequently share videos of their drone attacks on social media platforms.
