The escalating drone spy threat: It's high time for a tough response
Growing Threat of Drones Looms Over Germany With No Defensive Strategy Implemented - Expanding Drone Threat Puts Germany in a Vulnerable Position, Without a Defensive Strategy in Place
by Falk Steiner* ~ 6 MinOriginally published in October 2024.*
Lately in Schleswig-Holstein, the skies above Brunsbuettel industrial park have been a hotspot for large drones, even during midnight hours. Nearby is a critical infrastructure facility that supplies liquefied natural gas to the German gas network. Further close, you'll find the locks of the Kiel Canal, and just a stones throw away, a decommissioned nuclear power plant. This suspicious activity is suspected to be an act of espionage by Russian services. The local public prosecutor's office is investigating.
Brunsbuettel is not the only location in Germany facing these unwanted air invasions. Military training grounds where Ukrainian soldiers are being trained, airports, and various other crucial infrastructures all find themselves targeted. The cases are piling up, and the only thing they create is a political problem—these incidents cast a worrisome light on Germany's drone security. Are we adequately prepared?
"In Germany, we're dealing with drones of all kinds and effective drone defense, along with electronic warfare, but we're virtually blank," warns Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU member of the German Bundestag and former Bundeswehr colonel to Stern. The capabilities, he says, are inadequate, and Germany is facing significant challenges as a result.
The Green Party shares similar concerns. "There are two gaps: a capability gap, quite real, and there are no sufficient systems to effectively repel military drones," says Jan Kuerschner, a Green Party member of the Schleswig-Holstein state parliament. "Secondly, it's a problem with handling responsibilities. Drone defense is originally a police task, Kuerschner believes, but the police are currently struggling to keep up." We need to urgently address this issue, Kuerschner emphasized.
The State of the Union: Authority Dysfunction
The Bundeswehr possesses the most capable air monitoring systems. If a drone is spotted near a German military site, a spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Defense explains, intervention is only permitted in exceptional circumstances: when there's an immediate threat to the site or the soldiers.
In all other instances, the Bundeswehr's role ends at the gates. Outside their jurisdiction, the spokesperson notes, the military must coordinate with the authorities responsible for the area, who are then expected to act.
Operators of critical infrastructures such as LNG terminals or chemical plants in Brunsbüttel must protect themselves against disruptions. That's why on-site fire departments and security services are standard practice. "Large chemical plants, substations, wind farms with their data centers, all of this is regulated through private security services," says Martin Maslaton, representative of the Zivile Drohnen (BVZD) industry association. "But legally, there is no permit to repel drones." Some effective measures are even explicitly prohibited, Maslaton highlights, like using jammers, which can interfere with other radio networks. As a result, private companies are forced to call the police for any drones beyond their property.
Combating Minor Threats: Amplifying Efforts Against Hobby Drones
Recently, Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern have equipped their police forces with drone defense systems. Officers are currently undergoing training on these systems.
The Federal Police at Frankfurt Airport will receive a drone defense system from Securiton for "detection, verification, and intervention" — detection, verification, and interception. Securiton, a subsidiary of the Swiss Securitas company, has already developed drone defense solutions for the World Economic Forum. It can detect drones, force them to land, and determine the location of the pilots. Their target audience? Small and micro drones.
The University of the Federal Armed Forces in Hamburg carried out a project with the aim of combating drones. High-tech drones should catch unwanted drones out of the sky with nets that the targeted drone would get ensnared in. Project Falcon promises a "dynamic dogfight" — full-automatic interception of the other drone. The system was first tested at Hamburg Airport and proved to be effective against micro drones, with the hunter drone reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour for short distances.
Yet against military-grade drones, Falcon would likely be ineffective. What civilian drone defense systems are incapable of? Spy drones like the Russian Orlan or combat drones. They usually fly autonomously, much faster, and can sometimes venture hundreds of kilometers away. They present the greatest threat.
For CDU Member of the German Bundestag Roderich Kiesewetter, it's evident that existing equipment will struggle to cope with these drones, "Artificial intelligence modules for automatic target detection do not exist," he states. "The drone defense, for example, on our frigates is not sufficient for the threat scenarios, therefore, our military capability is severely limited, especially in the Red Sea." There, the frigate Hessen has already shot down drones from the Houthi militias and, once, almost mistakenly, a US drone.
Housebound: The Bundeswehr's Grounded Guns
The Bundeswehr currently has five drones of the Israeli type HeronTP in its possession, intended for foreign deployments like Mali or Afghanistan. These drones are primarily equipped for detecting opponents armed with rifles, grenade launchers, pick-ups, and other weapons of the like. For a confrontation with an opponent similar to Russia and its advanced military capabilities, these drones would likely prove to be ineffective and easily shot down, according to military insiders. However, the Bundeswehr doesn't currently possess other combat drones—and thus none that could shoot down other drones.
Kiesewetter, therefore, relies on closer collaboration with Ukraine, "Significant developments are going beyond the discussion reality in Germany, let alone investing in the setup with relevant partners." Ukrainian arms firms are currently the world's foremost experts in this field, said Kiesewetter, and Germany could greatly benefit from this cooperation.
However, shooting down drones over critical infrastructures like chemical plants, LNG terminals, or power plants still bears high risks. Debris could cause serious damage, as the Green state parliamentarian Jan Kürschner points out, "You can't shoot down drones over Brunsbüttel."
The excitement there has subsided for now. For several weeks, the night sky of Brunsbüttel has been calm. But no one knows how long this tranquility will last, according to Mayor Martin Schmedtje. "The drone flights have made me pensive, as they bring the conflict in Ukraine right to our doorstep." Schmedtje won’t be the last German mayor to have such thoughts.
Currently, there are no plans to alter the legal provisions regarding drone flights. And a law meant to better protect critical infrastructures has been stuck in the federal government for over a year. It was originally set to take effect in October.
Keywords: * Drone * Bundeswehr * Espionage * Drone sightings * Drone defense * Counter UAS (C-UAS).
Additional Insights:
- Recent advances in drone technology have made them more challenging to detect and neutralize, as they are becoming smaller, quieter, and more agile.
- Collaboration between Germany and other countries, particularly Ukraine, is seen as crucial for improved drone defense strategies and technologies.
- The Bundeswehr is in the process of acquiring a new type of tank, called the Skyranger, which is designed to shoot down drones. 19 units are set to replace the retired Gepard tanks. This might seem excessive, as Germany has far fewer airfields and air bases than the tanks in production, but the Skyranger tanks could potentially be redeployed to other domains of military operations, such as ground warfare or cyber warfare.
- To counter larger drones, such as military-grade or combat drones, Germany will likely need to invest in small autonomous systems developed by weapon manufacturers like Rheinmetall or KNDS. These systems could potentially clean the sky of drones with targeted energy shots. Alternatively, using armed drones to shoot down enemy drones remains a controversial option, but it's not yet feasible.
- The rapid development of threat scenarios necessitates constant updating and adaptation of counter-UAS strategies and technologies, as well as regular training for military personnel and security agencies.
[1] HENSOLDT press release, "HENSOLDT Consortium Wins €110 Million Contract for the German Army's Drone Defence Program," October 26, 2023.[2] European Commission, "Commission adopts drone rules to modernize European skies," May 18, 2021.[3] LPP Holding, "MTS Drone System Unveiled: Evolved and Combat-Proven," November 9, 2022.[4] Bundeswehr, "Counter-UAS 2025 – Sicher gegen Drohnen," accessed October 1, 2024.
- The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the rules for the application of this Regulation, especially in relation to the cybersecurity and technology aspects, to further the development of counter-UAS (C-UAS) strategies and technologies in response to the escalating drone spy threat and to mitigate concerns about espionage, crime, and politics.
- The recent drone sightings at critical infrastructures such as the Kiel Canal locks, decommissioned nuclear power plants, and liquefied natural gas facilities, suspected to be acts of espionage by Russian services, have highlighted the urgent need for improved drone defense, not just in Germany, but also in other countries dealing with similar issues.
- As part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen C-UAS capabilities, military training grounds, airports, and various other crucial infrastructures are increasingly investing in drone defense systems. These systems, while effective against small and micro drones, may prove inadequate against military-grade drones or spy drones like the Russian Orlan, which fly autonomously, much faster, and can sometimes venture hundreds of kilometers away, presenting the greatest threat.
