Overview

• The BDLI identified legal ambiguities and technical shortcomings—such as inadequate radar and jamming systems—that allow hostile drones to operate unchecked.
• Unauthorized drone overflights at Manching airbase went unresolved for weeks, highlighting failures in interagency coordination among police, military and oversight bodies.
• Industry stakeholders demand rapid state funding for modern counter-drone capabilities, including cooperative combat drones aligned with NATO standards.
• Defence planners cite the need for advanced tactical drones to protect the Bundeswehr’s Lithuania brigade, which must be fully operational by 2027.
• The association also calls for unified EU-wide drone registration and approval procedures to support safe civilian applications and bolster overall airspace security.