German-controlled Heron TP surveillance drone flies over Jutland in first Danish airspace test
A German-operated Heron TP surveillance drone was remotely piloted from Schleswig and flew over Jutland, marking Denmark’s first test of a UAV of this size in its airspace.
On Tuesday, a German-owned Heron TP surveillance drone, weighing over five tons and measuring 13 m in length with a 26 m wingspan, was remotely piloted from a Luftwaffe base in Schleswig and conducted a two-hour flight across Danish airspace. The aircraft entered Danish skies over the Sønderjylland border, traversed the eastern part of Jutland to Aalborg before looping back over the western region, maintaining an altitude of seven kilometres—the same band used by manned aircraft.
Throughout the mission, the German pilot remained in contact with Naviair, which manages Danish air traffic, while the Transport Authority verified that all safety protocols for beyond-visual-range UAV operations were satisfied. Officials highlighted the flight as a milestone in Denmark’s plan to receive its own General Atomics MQ-9B unmanned aircraft by 2028, which will operate from Flyvestation Aalborg under Eskadrille 729 for patrols over Greenland and the North Atlantic. Brigade chief Hans Peter Andersen called the test a crucial step toward establishing a national unmanned squadron.
Why it matters
The flight demonstrates Denmark’s readiness to integrate large military drones, enhancing future surveillance and NATO cooperation.
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