Suicide Drones Strike Regime Warplanes at Mandalay’s Tada-U Airbase
Resistance forces struck Tada-U Airbase near Mandalay with suicide drones on Thursday, destroying warplanes and killing personnel, according to local sources.
The regime uses Tada-U as its hub for airstrikes against resistance forces and civilians across upper Myanmar, including Chin, Kachin, Rakhine and northern Shan states, and Magwe, Mandalay and Sagaing regions.
Video footage released by the civilian National Unity Government (NUG) shows a suicide drone striking one of three fighter jets parked inside a hangar at the base.
The targeted jet appears to be a Russian Yak-130 light combat aircraft.
Another video circulating online shows the view from a drone camera as soldiers flee in panic from the attack.
According to local sources, up to four fighter jets were damaged or destroyed in the attack. The Irrawaddy was unable to independently confirm the reports.
Confirmation from resistance groups is pending but drone footage marked “MPDF” and “Shwebo B-5” indicates the attacks were conducted by the NUG’s Mandalay People’s Defense Force and Shwebo District Battalion 5.
A Mandalay PDF source said NUG military headquarters will issue a statement on the operation once the ground situation stabilizes. NUG spokesperson Nay Hpone Latt did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
The regime claimed on Thursday that “terrorist” PDF groups had targeted Tada-U International Airport, located next to the airbase, with six suicide drones forcing its temporary closure. It accused resistance forces of targeting civilian infrastructure, branding the attack a “war crime.”
However, public mapping and satellite data confirm that Tada-U Airbase sits on the southern perimeter of the airfield, where military and commercial flights share the primary runway.
Resistance drone videos appear to show only the military airbase being targeted.
Mandalay International Airport remained shut at press time, with Myanmar Airways International (MAI) diverting flights to Anisakan Airport in Pyin Oo Lwin.
However, Tada-U Airbase continues to operate, with independent monitor Enemy Air Route (EAR) logging flights by Yak-130s, FTC-2000G jet fighters and Mi-35P helicopter gunships since Thursday’s attack.
“The regime claimed that the civilian airport was targeted in order to frame the attack as terrorism. In reality, the airport remains fully usable, with Yak-130 and A-5 fighters still taking off and landing daily,” said a former air force officer who defected after the 2021 coup.
Regime forces responded to the attack by deploying a 70-strong force to nearby Nwarchangyikone village, triggering clashes with resistance forces.
“Clashes broke out near the village on Thursday afternoon around 2pm,” a resistance source stated, adding that both sides suffered casualties. According to former army captain Zin Yaw, who has monitored the conflict since defecting after the coup, those killed in the fighting included Lieutenant Colonel Myo Hlaing Oo, acting commander of No.7 Air Defense Operation Command Headquarters.
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