Germany's top general wants new weapons systems to counter drones
Germany's top general wants to quickly deploy new weapons systems in the German armed forces, or Bundeswehr, to counter drones.
"One thing is clear to me: in the end, it will probably come down to us having to use drones against drones," General Carsten Breuer, the inspector general of the Bundeswehr, told dpa in Berlin.
Given the volume of drones Russia is using against Ukraine, effective defence is "only possible through a mix of different capabilities," he said.
Breuer expects progress within months. He pointed to the timeline for introducing so-called loitering munitions into the Bundeswehr. These are kamikaze drones equipped with warheads that can be directed at targets in large numbers or even seek them out autonomously with support from artificial intelligence. They "loiter" around a target until it is located and then crash into it.
"We made a decision on loitering munitions in March, and by the end of the year, the troops will fire them live for the first time," he said.
"The battle of drone against drone is being pursued with the same urgency as the introduction of loitering munitions."
Multiple airspace violations within days
However, Breuer warned that it would be a "mistake" to lose sight of other threats. "We must not now say we are only focusing on drones. As central as the development of drones is for our defence capability, we still face threats from cruise missiles, rockets and aircraft."
Among NATO allies, increased airspace violations by Russia in the past two weeks have caused concern. Last week, a large number of drones entered Polish airspace, and thus NATO territory, prompting Polish and allied forces to shoot down several Russian drones over their territory for the first time.
On Friday, Estonia reported that three Russian fighter jets had violated its airspace.
NATO had already launched an operation called Eastern Sentry to strengthen the eastern flank with air defence and reconnaissance after the Polish airspace violation.
Russia 'tested us as an alliance'
Breuer described the incursion into Polish airspace as an unprecedented violation.
"Regardless of whether it was intentional or accidental, Putin will be closely observing our reaction. With this airspace violation, he tested us as an alliance," the top general said.
He expressed confidence that the alliance had passed this test with unity and a swift response. However, the fact that NATO fighter jets had to fire high-value guided missiles at comparatively cheap disposable drones has sparked public doubts and criticism about the alliance's level of preparedness.
Breuer called for the risks to people and potential property damage to be considered when deploying weapons. Nevertheless, he posed the question: "How can we achieve a much better cost-to-effectiveness ratio? We are no longer at the beginning of answering this question. For example, we are already procuring Skyranger air defence systems, whose ammunition costs a fraction of an air defence missile."
The Skyranger is a mobile ground-based air defence system developed by the German company Rheinmetall.
Standby contracts for drones
In the case of new drones, availability in large quantities is also crucial in emergencies. However, development cycles are very short, much shorter than for shells or missiles.
For military planners, it is therefore of little use to stockpile large quantities of a weapon that could lose its effectiveness within years or even months.
"I can imagine a standby contract for drone availability – 'drone as a service.' This means we need a certain number for training purposes. We need a certain number in depots for immediate needs," Breuer said.
"But above all, we need industrial capacities for a high quantity at the moment it becomes necessary."
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt is also focusing on enhanced drone defence for domestic security. "We will place this issue prominently on the agenda at the next interior ministers conference," the conservative politician from Bavaria told the Funke Media Group newspapers.
"Our goal is clear: to pool competencies between the federal and state governments, develop new defence capabilities, and integrate police and military drone defence."
"We are in a technological arms race between drone threats and drone defence – in both the hybrid and military domains," Dobrindt said.