Germany plans to expand drone defenses after Leipzig incident

Germany wants to build a protective shield against drones and cyberattacks after an attempted drone attack at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said hybrid attacks would increase and described the threat as an everyday reality.

“Russia’s hybrid attacks with explosive drones on airports, agents in our cities, cyberattacks on our networks and sabotage of our infrastructure are daily reality,” Dobrindt, a CSU politician, told Bild am Sonntag. “These attacks will increase, but we can defend and protect ourselves.”

According to information from the Interior Ministry cited by the newspaper, the plan would include rapidly deployable units in Frankfurt, Munich, Hamburg, Berlin, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Leipzig, Hannover and Cologne. They would protect the airspace over critical transport hubs, airports and railway stations, as well as Berlin’s government district.

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Russia’s hybrid attacks with explosive drones on airports, agents in our cities, cyberattacks on our networks and sabotage of our infrastructure are daily reality.

The defenses would cover more than drone detection and interception. The units would also be expected to neutralize drone bombs and other explosive devices. Protection would no longer rely only on the Federal Police and other authorities. Companies operating critical infrastructure, including water utilities, electricity providers and defense businesses, could receive legal powers to actively counter drones.

The government also wants to establish a national cyber shield, known as a Cyberdome. The proposed system would use a dense network of digital sensors to detect and intercept hacking attempts, against a backdrop of hundreds of cyberattacks targeting authorities and companies each day.

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These attacks will increase, but we can defend and protect ourselves.