Unverified video has been claimed to show rebels launching drones made by 3D printers from the jungle of Myanmar.
The footage shared on social media reportedly shows a stack of 10 unmanned aerial vehicles being launched over a field.
It was shared via an X account under the name Dylan Burns on Friday (March 15), who claimed: “Myanmar rebels have produced a drone fleet that is the bane of many a junta foot soldier’s existence.
“And they did it with 3D printers, assembly lines deep in the jungle, and pure determination.”
It has not been possible to independently verify the footage, where the drones were built, by whom and how.
The 11 second long footage was originally posted on X from an account named KyawThet Lwin which regularly shares videos and photos apparently from Myanmar.
Fierce fighting has been taking place in Myanmar since the country’s military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.
A shock offensive launched in October by an alliance of armed ethnic groups captured a large swathe of territory in northeastern Myanmar along the Chinese border. The army has also lost territory in the western state of Rakhine.
Almost three million people are now displaced in Myanmar, 2.4 million of them since conflict broke out after the 2021 military coup, according to the United Nations.
People’s Defense Force (PDF) is a catch-all term for the rebel armed groups which have emerged since the 2021 coup.
The PDFs have grown in size, organisation and capability and now pose a “major threat” to the junta, according to United States Institute of Peace.
It said: “Though they lack heavy equipment, an advanced command structure and international support, the proliferating PDFs have demonstrated remarkable tactical ingenuity and resilience.
“If they improve their command structure and weaponry, they could help expand territory under resistance control and hasten the junta’s demise.”
Should the unconfirmed report of rebels using 3D printed drones prove to be true, it could arguably signal just such an improvement in their ability to undermine Myanmar’s junta.
