Germany has launched a national hub to develop and test counter-unmanned system capabilities at active airfields and protect critical infrastructure against hybrid threats.
The Drone Security Technology Center pools scientific research, industry startups, and security agencies, including the Federal Police and Federal Criminal Police Office, to accelerate field deployment of drone detection and interception systems.
Berlin’s Federal Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) inaugurated the facility at the DLR airfield in Cochstedt, with secondary operations in Braunschweig.
The launch follows an incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport in early August, where a drone carrying military-grade explosives struck a parked cargo aircraft.
“We are researching and testing new technologies directly at an airport – exactly where the threat situation is most sensitive,” Federal Minister of the Interior Alexander Dobrindt said, describing drone threats as part of the “shadow war of the 21st century.”
Dobrindt also confirmed Germany is doubling its federal police counter-drone force from 150 to 300 officers and expanding its deployment bases from four to eight.
“We are pooling the expertise of the scientific community, start-ups and our security authorities to protect our country even more effectively,” Dobrindt added.
Multi-Million-Euro Funding
Initial funding for the Drone Security Technology Center includes 15 million euros ($157.4 million) from the research ministry and 3 million euros ($3.4 million) from the interior ministry, with 5 to 7 million euros ($5.8 to $8.1 million) in annual interior ministry support planned, according to sources.
The DLR will also invest about 10 million euros ($11.6 million) in site expansion and create up to 40 new positions.
“New approaches from research can be rapidly and effectively translated into practical solutions,” DLR Executive Board Chair Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla stated. “After all, we do not develop technology for its own sake – we solve specific problems and meet specific needs.”
“Research must have an impact — particularly where the security of our country is at stake,” she added.
