Oliver Towfigh Nia
22 December 2025•Update: 22 December 2025
BERLIN
Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) recorded more than 1,000 suspicious drone flights over the country by mid-December this year, local media reported on Monday.
"Since the beginning of the year, we have been compiling a so-called situation report with all data on suspicious cases, also involving the German Armed Forces: This year, over 1,000 suspicious drone flights have already been reported,” BKA President Holger Munch told the Bild newspaper.
“The most affected areas in our country are military facilities, airports, but also other critical infrastructure, such as arms manufacturers and port facilities," he added.
When asked whether these drones could always be traced back to Russian actors, Munch said: “We don't know that with 100% certainty.” This is also due to the difficulty of apprehending and questioning the drone pilots.
Last week, the federal and state governments inaugurated a Joint Drone Defense Center (GDAZ) in Berlin to better detect and neutralize unauthorized drones. Operations are scheduled to begin in January.
At the beginning of the month, the federal police commissioned a specialized drone defense unit to counter growing drone threats, which will soon comprise 130 special forces. It will be stationed at airports, in the capital, and nationwide near security-relevant objects. Among other things, it will use AI-supported jamming systems and automatic interception drones.
Germany's parliament approved more than €100 million ($116 million) for 2025 and 2026 to procure drone defense technology from German and Israeli manufacturers, with additional systems planned for the coming months.
The government has also initiated reforms to the Air Security Act, granting the federal police and military new legal powers to respond to suspected drone activities. Under these reforms, if police technology proves insufficient against large or advanced drones, the German armed forces will step in through administrative assistance.
