Myanmar’s military is increasingly using drones, motorised paragliders and other low-cost aircraft to attack civilians, according to United Nations investigators, highlighting the widening use of improvised and inexpensive aerial weapons as the military-backed government seeks to project stability and legitimacy after a controversial election.
The report, released Tuesday by the UN-established Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, said attacks had continued to increase from July last year, with a notable escalation in the period leading up to elections held in December and January.
The election helped elevate then-junta chief Min Aung Hlaing to the presidency in April, four years after the military seized power in a 2021 coup. The military-backed government has sought to present the vote as a step towards a return to civilian rule, but major opponents were excluded and former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remained in detention. Western governments largely rejected the election as neither free nor fair.
The UN investigators said the military had increasingly relied on motorised paragliders, gyrocopters and drones for low-altitude attacks using unguided explosives, including mortar shells. In several incidents in Sagaing region, paraglider pilots reportedly switched off their engines as they approached targets and glided silently, leaving civilians with less warning and less time to seek shelter.
The investigators also highlighted the use of so-called “double-tap” aerial attacks, in which a target is struck and then attacked again shortly afterwards. Such attacks appeared to target first responders, people assisting the wounded and civilians attempting to flee, according to the report.
The mechanism said its investigations had found that the frequency and intensity of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Myanmar’s military and various armed groups had continued to escalate over the past year.
Investigators also said they had collected “extensive evidence” of arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence in military-run facilities. Some cases were linked to a 2025 law criminalising criticism of the elections, adding another dimension to concerns over the military’s treatment of political opponents and civilians.
Myanmar’s military spokesman, Brig. Gen. San Nyo Win, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the findings.
The report presents a stark contrast to the military-backed government’s efforts to portray the country as moving towards political normalisation. The election was intended to provide a framework for restoring civilian rule, but the dominance of the military’s proxy party and the exclusion of major opponents have left the process widely disputed.
Since becoming president, Min Aung Hlaing has also intensified diplomatic engagement with neighbouring and regional powers. He has visited China, India, Laos and Thailand as his government seeks to strengthen external relations and demonstrate that Myanmar is not isolated.
He has pledged to restore normal ties with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but has simultaneously dismissed the bloc’s stalled peace plan for Myanmar and accused some of its members of “unconstructive discrimination”.
The UN findings nevertheless suggest that the military’s pursuit of political legitimacy has taken place alongside continuing violence. The increasing use of drones, paragliders and other low-cost aircraft provides the military with additional means to conduct attacks while reducing the need for more conventional and expensive aircraft.
For civilians, the investigators’ findings point to a conflict in which the methods of warfare are evolving while the underlying violence continues to intensify.
