Dobrindt: New Center to Conduct Research on Drone Safety

Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) wants to expand research on drone safety. (File photo) / Photo: Hendrik Schmidt/dpa

Politicians have been alarmed, at the very least since the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. A new center is intended to ensure that Germany is better equipped to defend itself against drones in the future.

Following the discovery of a drone carrying explosives at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CSU) plans to expand research on drone security. “The arms race in drone technology requires dedicated research units to keep pace,” he told *Bild am Sonntag*. Accordingly, a research facility for drone safety is to be established on August 18 at the test airport of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cochstedt, Saxony-Anhalt.

“Together with the DLR, we are establishing a facility unique in Germany with this new technology center, where innovative technologies for drone safety will be researched, developed, and tested in real-world laboratories,” said Dobrindt. The goal is to bring together scientific excellence, technological innovation, and the requirements of safety authorities.

Late Tuesday evening at Leipzig/Halle Airport, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was discovered near Ukrainian transport aircraft and brought down by an employee. Shortly thereafter, an aircraft taking off following the airspace closure collided with an unknown smaller flying object, possibly a second drone.

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“A Daily Target of Hybrid Warfare”

Shortly thereafter, Dobrindt spoke of a “hybrid” attack by “foreign powers.” He now told *Bild am Sonntag*: “The clear strategic goal of foreign powers is to subdue us politically and socially. Uncertainty, the stoking of fears, and destabilization are hallmarks of hybrid attacks.” Germany must continue to prepare for this, he said.

“We are not at war, but we are the daily target of hybrid warfare,” the minister said. “Espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks, or covert operations by foreign powers aimed at destabilizing Germany or causing it direct harm are a constant reality.”