Drones at training camps: “military espionage”, alarm in Germany

A series of drone flights over Bundeswehr training sites is fueling suspicions of military espionage against the German army. For this reason, security authorities are investigating some suspicious flights in Saxony-Anhalt, in the military training area of ​​Altengrabow (Jerichower Land), as reported by the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung (MZ). “An average number of incidents have been reported in Altengrabow this year.”

“A large proportion of drone sightings took place at night,” said a spokesman for the Bundeswehr Territorial Command. According to information from the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, reports Ntv, suspicious flying objects have been reported in recent weeks, usually between 10 pm and midnight. For military security reasons, it was not possible to disclose further details of the investigation, the command explained on request. “The Bundeswehr works closely with other security authorities such as the respective state police, the federal police and the Federal Criminal Police Office,” the command said. After the news released by Mz, the military counterintelligence service (MAD) was also activated. The Bundeswehr spokesman stressed that drone flights over Bundeswehr sites are generally prohibited.

There have also been sightings of illegal drones at other Bundeswehr headquarters in recent months. According to the command, in the current year there have been “a large number of reports of drones at Bundeswehr sites”. «The German army therefore drew up a catalog of measurements for all locations in Germany. Among other things, this involves the use of drone defenses such as the HP-47 system. This anti-drone rifle disrupts, among other things, the connection between the drone and the GPS through targeted jamming,” the spokesperson explained. Commercially available drones either returned to the pilot or landed. However, not all drones can be fought with the HP-47 system.