Fuldatal, August 20, 2026 — The Europe Today: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said Thursday that strengthening the country’s drone-defence capabilities would remain a permanent task in the coming years amid growing security concerns.
Speaking during a visit to the Federal Police’s aviation unit in Fuldatal in central Germany, Dobrindt said he expected an ongoing “arms race” between the authorities’ drone-defence systems and potential adversaries seeking to circumvent them.
According to dpa, the Federal Police’s newly established drone-defence unit, commissioned by Dobrindt in December, currently comprises around 70 personnel. The force is expected to expand to approximately 300 officers by the end of the year.
The expansion follows the most serious drone-related security incident reported in Germany to date, which occurred at Leipzig/Halle Airport earlier this month.
On the evening of August 4, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonation mechanism was discovered inside the airport’s security zone, between Ukrainian cargo aircraft.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office described the incident as a “serious attack on transport and logistics infrastructure in Germany.”
The latest measures reflect Germany’s efforts to enhance the protection of critical infrastructure and strengthen its ability to detect and respond to emerging drone-related threats.
