Myanmar factions trade blame after drone attack on passenger plane

MYITKYINA, Myanmar – A Myanmar National Airlines passenger plane was damaged in a drone attack at Myitkyina Airport on the evening of Feb. 20, according to government officials. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Myanmar’s military junta accused the Kachin Independence Organization (KIA) and the People's Defense Forces (PDF) of using FPV "suicide" drones to target the ATR-72-600 aircraft. The plane was reportedly preparing for takeoff when the strike occurred, causing minor damage to its nose, fuselage, and tail lights.

In a press release, the junta condemned the strike as a "war crime" under the Geneva Convention for targeting a civilian carrier. Security forces claimed they intercepted the drones to prevent them from exploding within the airport and are currently conducting security operations in the area.

KIA spokesperson Naw Bu denied the allegations in a statement to the BBC, asserting that the group does not target civilian aircraft. Myitkyina Airport serves as a critical air transport hub for Kachin State.

The strike on Myitkyina airport, regardless of attribution, marks a volatile escalation in Myanmar’s civil war and signals a paradigm shift in regional tactical trends. The deployment of low-cost, off-the-shelf FPV (First-Person View) "suicide" drones highlights the rapid weaponization of commercial technology, effectively erasing the distinction between specialized military hardware and civilian equipment. This shift presents a formidable security challenge, as non-state armed groups can now strike high-value infrastructure with minimal overhead.

Targeting a passenger aircraft appears to be a calculated maneuver designed to dismantle the appearance of stability, cripple the military junta’s logistical control, and project a pervasive sense of insecurity among the populace. Beyond the physical disruption, the incident serves as a psychological operation, reinforcing the message that no zone remains truly secure. The subsequent information battle—with the junta labeling the strike a "war crime" and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) issuing an immediate denial—underscores the fog of war that complicates independent verification in this increasingly fractured landscape.

For ASEAN neighbors, including Vietnam, the proliferation of drone warfare in a bordering conflict serves as a strategic warning. The asymmetric tactics and technologies currently maturing in Myanmar are highly replicable and pose a direct threat to regional stability. Policymakers in Hanoi and across Southeast Asia must now urgently recalibrate their defense postures to protect critical civilian infrastructure from the evolving threat of low-altitude, high-impact aerial strikes.