Germany’s Bild newspaper reports that a no-fly zone over a nuclear power plant had been violated several times this month. According to Bild, authorities with the Schleswig-Holstein state criminal police agency assume that the so-far unidentified drones are Russian Orlan-10s, which have a range of 500 to 600 kilometres and can fly over 100 kilometres an hour.
Unidentified drones were seen primarily over an industrial zone in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, where a local nuclear power plant (non-working), chemical plants, and a liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal are located, according to Bild.
According to the EU Today news site: “One notable incident occurred late on the evening of 20 August when a drone, reportedly travelling at speeds of over 100 kilometres per hour, was detected above the nuclear facility. German police have confirmed that the drone breached a no-fly zone multiple times.”
In an earlier edition, the Bild newspaper reported the German army has known about the problem for quite some time. “In October 2022, General Carsten Breuer (59), then commander of the Territorial Command, was alarmed by drone alarms. Particularly affected: locations where the Bundeswehr trains Ukrainians….In a hasty move, Breuer had military police trained in the use of the HP 47 jammer. Such jammers can force drones to land. However, the effectiveness of the HP 47 had not been sufficiently investigated.”
According to Reuters, the issue has intensified over the last few days as German prosecutors have opened an investigation into repeated drone flights over critical infrastructure in northern Germany on suspicion of espionage activity. “The Flensburg public prosecutor’s office has initiated a preliminary investigation on suspicion of “agent activity for sabotage purposes in connection with repeated drone flights,” according to a senior public prosecutor.
For more information
Germany Probes Russian Links to Drone Activity Over Nuclear Plant
(Image: ChemCoastPark Brunsbüttel LNG Terminal – Shutterstock)
