Germany records more than 1,000 suspicious drone sightings this year

More than 1,000 suspicious drone flights – the majority over military facilities, defence companies and critical infrastructure – were registered in Germany over the past year, according to the president of the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA).

The second half of 2025 has seen a wave of disruptions across European airspace, with drone appearances forcing airport closures in multiple countries, including Denmark, Belgium, and Germany. In September, an unprecedented incursion of nineteen Russian drones was recorded in Poland.

The German figure is based on an internal assessment of the threat posed by “drones as a means of committing crimes,” which was compiled for the first time this year.

Most of the drone sightings in the country affected “military facilities, airports, but also other critical infrastructure – such as defence companies and port facilities,” BKA President Holger Münch told German daily Bild.

Not every sighting ultimately proved to be a drone, and not every drone could be attributed to Russia, Münch said.

In response to the rise in sightings, Germany opened a new national drone defence centre last Wednesday to enable better coordination between federal and state governments. A new police task force, reportedly comprising 130 officers focusing on drone defence, was launched earlier this month.

(vib)