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.
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.
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German authorities are now seeking to combat the unmanned aerial vehicles in a more effective and rapid fashion.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Wednesday opened the joint counter-drone center (GDAZ) in Berlin, which will coordinate federal and state capabilities when it comes to drone defense.
"The joint counter-drone center operates around the clock and is designated to respond quickly and in a coordinated manner to security threats," a German government statement said. "It combines the technical expertise of the federal and state governments, creaking a robust framework for ongoing communication, joint situation assessments and coordinated action in drone defense."
Dobrindt has also commissioned a drone defense unit to assist airports and other sites when drone incidents occur.
Germany's Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr, has also ordered special anti-aircraft tanks that are effective in fighting swarms of drones.
Curated by Shiv Shakti Mishra
