Unidentified drone swarms shut down Munich airport and circle German military sites, sparking fears of Russian-style hybrid warfare.
Germany has been jolted into high alert as waves of unidentified drones buzz over critical infrastructure, airports, and even sensitive military facilities, in what officials now warn could be part of a coordinated hybrid assault against NATO soil.
On Thursday night, Munich Airport was forced to halt flights after multiple drones were spotted over its runways. Seventeen departures were cancelled, affecting nearly 3,000 passengers, and 15 incoming flights were diverted. The airport said swarms were sighted twice within an hour, forcing the closure of both runways. Police have opened a probe into the origins of the drones.
But Munich was not an isolated incident. Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack revealed that mystery drones of “different types and sizes” were also tracked over Kiel, Dithmarschen, and Rendsburg-Eckernförde, including directly above a naval facility and critical infrastructure. Some sightings were dismissed as false alarms, but several remain unexplained — among them incursions over an oil refinery, a power plant, and ThyssenKrupp’s naval division.
According to Der Spiegel, drones were observed over a hospital, the Schleswig-Holstein parliament, and NATO-linked sites. Similar swarms were spotted in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania on September 25–26, including over a naval HQ in Rostock and an army base in Sanitz.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned Germany is in the middle of an “arms race between drone threats and drone defense.” He announced sweeping reforms: a National Drone Defense Center, sweeping changes to the 2005 Aviation Security Act, and new powers for the Bundeswehr to shoot down hostile drones inside domestic airspace.
Germany has already purchased net-equipped interceptor drones, but these tools are inadequate against swarms or larger, weaponized aircraft. “We cannot afford to lose this race,” Dobrindt said, urging the creation of a multi-agency defense network.
The incursions follow a disturbing pattern across Europe. Drones were spotted over Danish military bases, Swedish naval sites, Norway’s Ørland Air Station housing F-35 jets, and Lithuania’s Vilnius airport. In the UK, drones have circled nuclear plants and RAF bases, while in the US, unidentified drones forced shutdowns at Wright-Patterson AFB and even appeared over Langley AFB, a cornerstone of NORAD defense.
Analysts warn these “parallel course” flights resemble mapping missions — reconnaissance designed for sabotage or future strikes. Officials suspect Russian or Chinese involvement, though definitive proof remains elusive.
For NATO, the danger is clear: drone warfare has already blurred the line between espionage and sabotage. Whether scouting nuclear plants, oil refineries, or military bases, these swarms are testing defenses, probing weaknesses, and laying the groundwork for something far more destructive.
