Germany registers over 1,000 suspicious drone flights
Drone sightings this year have disrupted German airports, causing headaches for travelers. Germany has ordered special anti-aircraft tanks to combat the unmanned aerial vehicles.
Drone sightings in Germany have caused alarm, with security authorities looking for a firmer strategy on dealing with the flying machines
Germany has registered over 1,000 suspicious drone flights so far in 2025, the head of Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) told German newspaper Bild in comments published on Sunday.
BKA chief Holger Münch said the drone sightings represent a “significant situation of danger.”
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in October that the German government believes Russia is behind many of the drone sightings over German territory.
Münch told Bild that it cannot be assumed with “100% certainty” that all of the suspicious drones are being guided by Russia. However, he said he suspects the drones are being steered by a state actor aimed at sowing uncertainty in Germany.
Drones spotted at Berlin, Munich airports
Drone sightings this year have disrupted German airports, canceling flights and causing headaches for travelers.
Munich Airport, for example, halted air traffic control operations on October 3 as the city held its world-famous Oktoberfest event. In November, Berlin Brandenburg Airport also had to suspend operations for nearly two hours due to unidentified drone sightings.
Drones are also sometimes sighted over German military installations.
German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that four drones were spotted on October 13 at a German military base in the northeastern town of Gnoien, near the major city of Rostock. The report said that Ukrainian soldiers were being trained at the Gnoien base at the time of the incident.
