Suspicious drone flights
Bundeswehr wants to secure barracks with jamming weapons
11/10/2022 6:57 p.m
Suspicious drone flights over Bundeswehr locations have caused a stir in recent weeks. According to a report, the military premises are now to be protected with special anti-drone weapons. Accordingly, the first systems could be delivered as early as March.
According to a media report, barracks of the Bundeswehr should be better protected against possible drone attacks. As the “Spiegel” reports, 80 defensive weapons of the type “HP47” are to be purchased in a hurry. The background is several sightings of unmanned aerial vehicles over barracks and the Bonn headquarters of the Ministry of Defense. According to the magazine, General Inspector Eberhard Zorn confirmed the immediate need at short notice at the end of October after an urgent request from the national commander, Carsten Breuer.
The “HP47” is a relatively easy-to-use system made in Germany. When sighting drones, a soldier takes aim at the flying object with the so-called effector, which is placed on the shoulder, and pulls the trigger. Invisible interference signals then interrupt the remote control of the drone. So far, the Bundeswehr is said to only have a handful of “HP47s”, which are mainly used for foreign missions such as in Mali. According to the information, the unit price is 40,000 euros.
As the “Spiegel” writes, citing security circles, the first “HP47” for Germany could be delivered next March. With the emergency program for around three million euros, barracks and the two seats of the Ministry of Defense in Bonn and Berlin can be protected, so the hope.
Suspicious drone flights in the Bundeswehr have been causing a stir for several weeks. Initially, smaller drones were sighted at several locations where Ukrainian soldiers were being trained on Western weapon systems. Suspicious vehicles near the military premises were also registered. According to reports, the military intelligence service MAD suspects that Russian secret services wanted to spy on the training sites.
In addition, on October 28, a witness observed a drone over the headquarters of the Ministry of Defense in Bonn during the night. According to internal Bundeswehr notes, the sighted drone should have had a wingspan of between four and eight meters. Even if experts have doubts about the size information, the Bundeswehr takes the sighting seriously, writes the magazine.