The incidence of illegal drones over military facilities and airports is on the rise. Over a thousand cases were collected in Germany in one year, while a new unit was created to detect them.
More than 1,000 suspicious drone flights were registered in Germany from the beginning of the year to mid-December, said the president of the Federal Criminal Office (BKA), Holger Münch. According to him, most of the incidents involve military facilities, airports and other critical infrastructure, such as arms factories or port facilities. TASR informs about it according to the DPA agency.
The BKA has been compiling a nationwide assessment of suspected cases since the beginning of the year with all available data, including from the military, Münch said in a statement to the Bild newspaper published on Sunday.
Russia as a possible source
When asked if these drone flights can always be attributed to Russian actors, Münch replied that it cannot be determined with 100 percent certainty because, among other things, it is difficult to identify and question the operators of these drones.
Last Wednesday, Germany introduced the Joint Center for Defense Against Drones (GDAZ), whose task will be to improve the detection and destruction of illegally flying drones. It should start operations in January.
New anti-drone unit
Since the beginning of December, the German Federal Police also has an anti-drone defense unit, which will soon have 130 specialists. They will be deployed at airports, in the capital and at sensitive locations across the country. According to expectations, they should also use jamming systems supported by artificial intelligence and automatic interception drones.
