New drone regiment for Bundeswehr

Bergen (dpa/d.de) - The Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, is setting up a dedicated drone regiment to combat unmanned systems. The unit will comprise up to 600 men and women and cover ranges of up to 500 kilometres, said Defence Minister Boris Pistorius at the Bergen military training area in Lower Saxony. “Anyone wishing to prevail on land must master the use of unmanned systems,” said Pistorius. 

He explained that the new unit wouldn’t work only with aerial systems but also with unmanned land-based systems. He added that the regiment crucially included its own electromagnetic warfare company. The drone regiment is also to be equipped with kamikaze drones, known as loitering munition.

The new unit is expected to form part of the 10th Armoured Division, which also includes 45 Armoured Brigade that is stationed in Lithuania to protect NATO’s eastern flank. 

New drone detection system

DFS, Germany’s air traffic control agency, has meanwhile put a drone detection system into operation at Berlin Brandenburg Airport (BER). It allows drones in approach and departure zones to be detected at an early stage and the competent authorities to be notified of any potential aviation risks, announced the Federal Ministry for Transport.