Germany to open anti-drone technology center after Leipzig airport incident

Germany will establish a technology center for anti-drone defense, announced Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt and Science Minister Dorothee Bär. It will be located at the German Aerospace Center (DLR) test site in Cochstedt, Saxony-Anhalt, with deployment work starting August 18. Dobrindt stated the arms race in drone technology requires specialized research units to keep pace, noting Germany faces daily hybrid warfare threats. The center, created with DLR, will develop and test innovative drone defense technologies under real-world conditions. The initiative follows an August 5 incident at Leipzig-Halle airport, a major global weapons transit hub, where an unknown drone carrying explosives was spotted near Ukrainian cargo planes. An airport employee shot it down, and police classified it as a possible state security violation. US media cited intelligence sources suggesting a possible Russian connection, though German authorities have not commented on the drone's origin. A 24-hour mobile special operations unit against drones has since been deployed at the airport.