German minister expects challenges to drone defence law

Alexander Dobrindt, German Minister of the Interior attends the Bundestag session on the first reading of the planned Collective Bargaining Act on October 10, 2025 in Berlin | Photo: Niklas Graeber/dpa

German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said he expect legal challenges to a planned bill on drone defence, as Berlin scrambles to respond to a series of sightings.

Berlin: German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt on Saturday said he expect legal challenges to a planned bill on drone defence, as Berlin scrambles to respond to a series of sightings.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government is planning changes to the Aviation Security Act to allow the Bundeswehr, or armed forces, to be deployed for domestic drone defence.

Authorities across Europe are scrambling to respond to a series of incidents involving drones that have been widely attributed to Russia, despite Moscow’s denials.

The German response has been complicated by the country’s federal security apparatus, with powers distributed across a wide range of agencies at the state and national level, and concerns over how to involve the military in domestic defence operations.

Dobrindt said he expected the amendment would be contested at the nation’s Constitutional Court.

He stated that an amendment to the Basic Law – the country’s constitution – is not necessary for expanding the Bundeswehr‘s powers, a view shared with Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig and Defence Minister Boris Pistorius.

“There is complete agreement between the justice minister, the defence minister and myself that we will regulate it in this way. This has also been discussed and will be implemented as such,” Dobrindt said.

Dobrindt also wants to expand the capabilities of the Federal Police for drone defence in their areas of responsibility, such as railway facilities and airports.

He plans to create a drone defence unit within the Federal Police by the end of the year, Dobrindt said on Wednesday.

In addition, a joint drone defence centre for federal and state authorities is also to enter operation this year, aiming to deepen cooperation and pool competencies.

Last week, Russia rejected accusations of involvement in the recent drone sightings over Germany, some of which have led to the temporary suspension of air traffic at the nation’s busiest airports.

“There are many politicians in Europe who tend to blame Russia for everything at the moment. They do so without justification and in a sweeping manner,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russian news agency Interfax.

“The story with these drones is indeed strange, to say the least. But on the other hand, there is no reason to blame Russia for it,” he said, referring to comments made by Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday during an interview with public broadcaster ARD.

Merz expressed his “assumption” after the drone sightings in Munich that “in any case, a significant part of them are probably controlled from Russia.” Merz also said: “We know that Putin wants to test us.”

Last week, the deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, accused Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron of wanting to stir up fears of war, after Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed as nonsense accusations that Russia wanted to attack a NATO country during a speech at an international forum in Sochi.

It is time for the population to “tear off the heads” of these “monsters,” the Medvedyev wrote on Telegram.

Meanwhile, an aviation expert called for drones to be labelled as a consequence of recent incidents at airports.

“We need complete and mandatory visibility of all legal drones so that they can be quickly distinguished from illegal ones, Gerald Wissel, chairman of the Association for Unmanned Aviation, told dpa

According to air traffic regulations, airport operators are responsible for protection and must take appropriate measures.

“Airports must finally invest here,” said Wissel, who also works with the aviation consultancy Airborne.

The airport association ADV disagreed: “Technical monitoring of the airspace around airports is the responsibility of air traffic control, while active defence measures may only be carried out by police authorities.” Airports have no responsibilities in this area.

“The police authorities are aware of their responsibilities,” the association emphasized. It said that operational concepts and state-funded and efficient protection systems are needed.

Drones of unknown origin disrupted flight operations at Germany’s second-largest airport in Munich this week while last week, drones were spotted over the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein.

Following drone sightings that disrupted operations at Munich Airport, Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said earlier this month that police could soon receive expanded powers to tackle the threat.

“We want to significantly expand the legal powers of the Bavarian police so they can act immediately and effectively against drones. That also means police will be allowed That also means police will be allowed to shoot down drones in cases of acute danger,” the conservative politician said.