German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt has announced plans to revise the country’s aviation security law, granting the Bundeswehr a clear role in countering drone threats, including the authority to shoot down hostile aircraft.
Dobrindt described the recent increase in drone incursions over Germany and neighboring countries as a “persistent hybrid threat,” ranging from small commercial quadcopters to coordinated attack groups.
“We are experiencing an arms race – between drone threats and drone defense,” Dobrindt said. “This is a race we cannot afford to lose.”
The legislative move comes after a surge of drone intrusions in Denmark and northern Germany, which raised concerns about security and espionage. Copenhagen’s main airport was shut down for several hours after large drones were spotted in restricted airspace.
Dobrindt’s proposal includes two key pillars. First, the establishment of a national drone defense center, pooling resources from federal police, state police, the Federal Criminal Office, and the German Armed Forces. The center would coordinate budgets, research projects, and new technologies for interception and countermeasures, including “drone-on-drone” systems.
Second, the government will amend Germany’s Aviation Security Act, originally passed in 2005. The new legislation would clearly authorize the Bundeswehr to intervene within the framework of military assistance to civilian authorities when police capabilities are insufficient. “This naturally includes the option of shooting down drones,” Dobrindt emphasized.
Currently, the legal framework only allows limited police use of signal or network disruption, leaving gaps against larger or militarized drones.
