The Schwesing airbase has become a key target for surveillance, primarily due to the Patriot missile training conducted there. Germany has already supplied Ukraine with several Patriot missile defense systems, which are essential in defending against Russian airstrikes.
According to a Munich-based newspaper, military officials suspect that the drones recently spotted near the base were not ordinary commercial models but rather advanced, potentially state-sponsored devices. Some defense analysts believe these drones could have been launched from ships stationed in the North Sea or Baltic Sea, Süddeutsche Zeitung reported.
Security officials have also noted a rise in drone activity around military sites. Just weeks earlier, drones were seen flying over the U.S. airbase in Ramstein, a critical NATO logistics hub. This incident led the German government to propose a legal amendment allowing the Bundeswehr to shoot down unauthorized drones.
These repeated drone sightings have exposed weaknesses in Germany’s defense against unmanned aerial threats. Internal Bundeswehr reports revealed that key counter-drone systems, such as the Wingman and RADIS detection tools, were unable to effectively respond, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has acknowledged the urgency of strengthening drone defenses but admitted that progress has been slow. In response to the incidents at Schwesing, Germany has deployed additional detection and jamming technology to the airbase.
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