Germany investigates drone flights over Bundeswehr site servicing Patriot systems
Suspicious drones spotted over Bundeswehr base in Germany (Photo: REUTERS/Lisi Niesner)
Suspicious drone flights were recorded over a Bundeswehr military facility in Mechernich, Germany, where Patriot air defense systems are serviced, Tagesschau reported on Friday, Aug. 7.
Security personnel observed a total of six drone flights between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. overnight, the outlet said.
Mechernich is located on the edge of the Eifel region southwest of Bonn and hosts a key Bundeswehr logistics facility.
The site includes a protected underground storage complex covering about 30,000 square meters, or roughly 323,000 square feet, where military equipment and spare parts are stored. Military specialists at the base also maintain and repair Patriot air defense systems.
Police had already arrived by the time the final drone flight was observed and personally spotted at least one UAV.
One of the drones circled above the police officers for some time, according to a confidential police report cited by Tagesschau.
Bundeswehr military police also observed the drone from a distance of around 40 meters, or 130 feet, and tentatively identified it as a Fly-380 VTOL.
The aircraft has a wingspan of about 3.8 meters, or 12.5 feet, a range of up to 400 kilometers, or about 250 miles, a maximum speed of 150 kilometers per hour, or about 93 mph, and can carry a payload of more than 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds.
Authorities have not determined who was operating the drones.
Aircraft of this type can be used for surveying, mapping, border surveillance and cargo deliveries to hard-to-reach areas. Investigators have so far found no indication that a civilian drone accidentally flew over the military site.
Police are investigating possible illegal photography of military facilities, weapons and other sensitive areas.
The investigation involves the North Rhine-Westphalia State Criminal Police Office, federal security agencies, Germany’s Military Counterintelligence Service and the Joint Drone Defense Center in Berlin.
The Bundeswehr confirmed the drone sightings. A spokesperson for its Operational Command said two UAVs had been recorded, but the military declined to provide further details because the investigation is ongoing.
The incident follows another security scare in Germany earlier this week.
A drone fitted with a detonator and explosive material was found overnight on Aug. 5 at Leipzig/Halle Airport, which has served as a base for Ukrainian Antonov aircraft since 2022.
The UAV was discovered on a runway near a Ukrainian An-124 Ruslan cargo plane.
Flights were diverted because of the incident. One DHL cargo aircraft delayed its landing and made another circuit after colliding with an unidentified object in the air that may have been another drone, pilots later confirmed.
U.S. intelligence assessed that the explosive-laden drone found near the Ukrainian aircraft was likely linked to the Russian government, it was reported on Aug. 7.
Officials in the United States and Europe increasingly believe such incidents may form part of Russian reconnaissance or probing operations intended to test NATO countries’ preparedness.
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