Two drones were spotted over a military base in western Germany just days after an explosive‑laden device was found at Leipzig airport.
Germany’s armed forces (Bundeswehr) confirmed the sighting at a Mechernich base near Bonn, a facility that stores components for US‑made Patriot air‑defence systems.
A Bundeswehr Joint Force Command spokesperson said military police were dispatched to the site before the case was handed to local police.
The incident follows a rise in drone activity over bases and airports across Europe that support Ukraine in its war with Russia, a trend that has drawn accusations against Moscow which it has denied.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described Germany as a “daily target of hybrid warfare” and said the country was not at war.
Authorities are investigating how a drone carrying explosives reached the runway at Leipzig/Halle, a NATO, German military and Ukrainian Antonov Airlines base.
While the Bundeswehr has declined to comment on the drones seen over Mechernich, the investigation is ongoing.
The Mechernich base is known for storing spare parts required to maintain Patriot missile batteries, which have become crucial for Ukraine’s interception of Russian missiles since 2022.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has pleaded for additional Patriot supplies after warning that interceptor shortages are costing lives.
The US initially offered a licence to build Patriots for Ukraine in early July, but President Donald Trump later denied any such agreement, raising questions about the future of Ukrainian air‑defence capabilities.
A spate of drone sightings across Europe last year heightened security concerns and led the EU to discuss a continent‑wide “drone wall” of air‑defences.
