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Bavaria Moves to Expand Police Powers to Neutralize Rogue Drones

The plan responds to recent airport drone incursions by creating a police center in Erding.

Overview

  • Bavaria's cabinet advanced a draft to broaden police counter-drone authority, allowing electronic takeover, nets, propulsion disruption and, as a last resort, shootdowns.
  • The proposal lifts the state's ban on arming police-operated drones, and Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said the Landtag could pass the measure this year.
  • A new Bavarian police drone competence and defence center will be established in Erding near Munich Airport to concentrate capabilities.
  • Munich Airport twice halted operations last week after drone sightings, with federal police describing devices around one meter in size and no confirmed attribution.
  • Berlin plans additional purchases of detection gear, short-range radars, interceptor and reconnaissance drones and kinetic systems, while experts warn about proportionality and identification limits and police unions urge rapid equipping.