Spy drones over German military bases on the rise, statistics reveal
Spy drones increasingly spotted over military bases in Germany (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
In Germany, unknown drones have been increasingly spotted over military bases and critical infrastructure facilities, according to Bild.
The outlet reports that aircraft pilots have repeatedly observed unidentified drones, which usually flew quietly and in the dark.
Citing a classified report, Bild notes that for the first time, an analysis was conducted on the airborne threat posed by these unidentified UAVs. Between January and March of this year, 270 incidents involving 536 drones were recorded. In 55 cases, two or more drones were detected simultaneously.
Most of the drones were spotted in the evening - 45% of cases occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight, and another 28% between midnight and 6 a.m. During the day, the number of unidentified UAVs was lower: 13% in the morning and 14% in the afternoon.
It is also known that most sightings occurred on certain days of the week - Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Main targets of the unknown drones
The number one target of these drones turned out to be military facilities, with 117 reports of UAV sightings. These included the Bundeswehr naval base in Wilhelmshaven, where 10 flyovers were recorded, and the US Ramstein Air Base, with 15 incidents.
In addition, drone flights were recorded over defense companies, German government buildings, and administrative offices of federal states.
The drones also monitored the power supply system, with 88 incidents registered in the first quarter, as well as civilian airports, ports, and railway stations.
In total, prosecutors have opened 123 criminal cases in Lower Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Rhineland-Palatinate, Bavaria, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
“Unidentified drones, in particular, suggest that they are neither commercial nor military drones, as military and commercially available drone detection systems usually detect all known devices,” the report states.
Bild reported as early as last year that Russian drones might have been spying on Germany’s critical infrastructure.
Recently, EU Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius even proposed creating a drone army to counter a possible drone attack by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
In particular, in December last year, unidentified drones were recorded over the US Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Drones were also spotted over facilities belonging to the defense company Rheinmetall.
Additionally, in November 2024, small unmanned aerial vehicles flew over US military bases in the UK.
