A new security project is moving from speeches to testing grounds, as Berlin responds to an incident involving an explosive-equipped drone.

Germany will establish a technology center for anti-drone defense, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Science Minister Dorothee Bär announced. It will be located at the German Aerospace Center’s (DLR) testing site in Cochstedt, Saxony-Anhalt. Work to set up the new center will begin as early as August 18.

Location and tasks of the new center

The arms race in unmanned technologies requires specialized research units to keep pace with developments, Dobrindt said. We are not taking part in a war, but every day we are becoming targets of hybrid warfare.

– Dobrindt

The center, which the federal government is establishing jointly with DLR, will develop innovative technologies to protect against unmanned aerial vehicles and test them under real-world conditions.

Background to the development and relevance of anti-drone technologies

Calls to develop drone and anti-drone technologies in Germany grew louder after an unidentified drone carrying an explosive charge and an explosive device was detected at Leipzig/Halle Airport on August 5. It was flying at low altitude over the airfield, in the immediate vicinity of Ukrainian cargo planes parked at the airport. An airport employee managed to shoot down the drone and call the police, who classified the incident as a possible breach of national security.

German authorities have not yet commented on the drone’s origin. However, citing intelligence sources, the American press has reported a possible “Russian connection.”

Following the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a major hub for transporting weapons around the world, a mobile special forces unit specializing in countering unmanned aerial vehicles was placed on round-the-clock duty.

The incident is increasing pressure to rapidly deploy and improve anti-drone technologies, which will become a key task for the new research center.

Overall, such steps are intended to strengthen Germany’s defense capabilities and accelerate the implementation of technologies to counter unmanned aerial vehicles.