Massive Drone Invasion Over Germany Raises Security Concerns

8 January, 2025 Mavic 3. SESU In Germany, unknown drones were spotted over the Rhineland-Palatinate at the end of 2024, but were not shot down or intercepted.

This was reported to the Bild tabloid by the Ministry of the Interior of this federal state and other informed sources. Before Christmas 2024, a "massive invasion" of drones took place over Rhineland-Palatinate, with some of them allegedly flying near military facilities. Bild does not specify which facilities are in question, but the Ramstein Air Base is located in the region.

The media have already reported the flight of unknown drones near it.

The American Ramstein Air Base is located in Rhineland-Palatinate. Source: www.dw.com

The tabloid's sources said that some of the drones that have been spotted flying over the territory of Rhineland-Palatinate were "the size of a car." According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Interior Ministry, in 2024 alone, the police received "about 100 reports" of airspace violations by unidentified drones.

"In Germany, the use of large drones to spy on security-sensitive facilities is also noticeably increasing. They are probably part of Russia's hybrid warfare," the agency added. They also consider that the German federal government should urgently provide "appropriate technologies to detect and combat drone flights at an early stage."

Last year, there were a number of incidents involving unidentified drones flying over U.S. air bases in Britain.

In particular, the incident of November 24, when unmanned aerial vehicles were spotted over three Royal Air Force bases in Suffolk and Norfolk, was reported.