Germany expands police drone-countermeasures after explosive UAV found at key airport

Last week an unmanned aerial vehicle loaded with explosives was found close to an Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig-Halle airport, a critical node for German armed forces and NATO logistics as well as a base for Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines. The device was neutralised after it bounced off the plane’s wing and failed to detonate, though the cause of the malfunction remains unclear. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a “hybrid attack scenario” that could involve a foreign power, and ordered the federal police anti-drone unit to be expanded to 300 personnel with eight operational bases instead of four.

A ministry spokeswoman said Dobrindt will open a new drone-technology research centre attached to the German Aerospace Centre in the coming week. German authorities have repeatedly linked similar UAV sightings over sensitive sites to Russian sabotage efforts, a claim Russia rejects, labeling the Leipzig event a provocation serving Kyiv and European militarist interests.