German federal police may soon have the power to shoot down drones violating the country’s airspace following a string of drone incursions across Europe that have raised questions about the region’s ability to defend itself.
Under a proposed law, federal police will have explicit authority to neutralize drones violating Germany’s airspace, especially if they pose a threat to civilians in the area.
“The drone incidents threaten our security. We will not allow this. We are strengthening the competencies of the Federal Police: So that drones can be detected and countered more quickly in the future. This is what we decided in the cabinet today,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz posted Wednesday on X.
The legislation was approved Wednesday by the Merz Cabinet and is awaiting parliamentary approval.
In addition to firearms, German police would be allowed to use lasers and electronic warfare techniques to take down rogue drones.
If Germany enacts the legislation, it will join other European countries, such as France, the United Kingdom, Lithuania and Romania, that have passed similar laws in response to unidentified drone sightings.
The new measure comes just days after unidentified drones forced Germany’s Munich Airport to close for hours on Friday, diverting or canceling dozens of flights, and leaving thousands of passengers stranded.
Due to poor lighting conditions, German police were unable to identify the size and type of drones spotted on Thursday evening. However, authorities over the weekend reported that the drones were not armed and were on reconnaissance missions.
Mr. Merz said Russia was likely behind last week’s drone incidents, echoing statements from his European allies who have come to view Moscow as the chief threat to the region’s security. Over the last month, a string of drone incursions into European airspace has infuriated leaders and led some to push for action.
Airports in Norway and Denmark were closed for several hours last month when large, unidentified drones were spotted nearby, leading Denmark to ban all civil drone flights in its airspace. Authorities have spotted Russian drones inside Polish and Romanian airspace, and NATO authorities allegedly intercepted three Russian jets above Estonian airspace.
During a European Union meeting last month in Copenhagen, several leaders expressed serious interest in developing a “drone wall,” or a network of advanced sensors and interceptors dedicated to detecting and defeating foreign-launched drones.
Russia has denied involvement in most of the drone incidents. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said the accusations underscore a growing militarism in Europe and that it “may be time for us to take countermeasures.”
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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