Germany faces high drone threat, plans tougher security plan

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said on Saturday that the threat from drones was “high” and that the country would take measures to defend itself.

Officials in Europe have been on high alert after drone incursions in Denmark shut down air traffic in various parts of the country several times over the past week. Authorities are also investigating sightings in Germany.

“There is a threat that can be classified as high when it comes to drones. It is an abstract threat, but very concrete in individual cases,” Dobrindt told journalists in Berlin.

Among the measures, Germany will look to revise an aviation security law to allow the nation’s armed forces to get involved to possibly shoot down drones, he said.

“It’s about being prepared so that critical infrastructure or large gatherings of people, for example, can be protected,” he said.

According to another news, Germany is considering allowing its military to shoot down drones, a report said Saturday, after recent drone incursions around Europe raised tensions with Russia.

Drones have been spotted in recent days flying over airports in Denmark and Norway, causing some of them to close temporarily. There was also a drone sighting over Denmark’s biggest military base late Friday.

Germany, one of Ukraine’s key backers in its fight against Moscow, has also reported a rise in suspicious drone sightings in recent times — the latest came late Friday in a northern state bordering Denmark.

Suspicion has fallen on Russia, even if no definite proof has been made public.

Berlin had already announced plans to bolster its drone defence systems earlier this week to counter the growing Russian threat perception.

Tabloid Bild reported that, among measures planned, the government was considering allowing the armed forces to shoot down drones under certain conditions.