Overview

• Industry revenues grew 9 percent last year and workforce headcount rose 24 percent to 7,700 as the Ukraine conflict fuels demand for German reconnaissance and combat drones.
• Public support for civilian drone operations climbed to 58 percent in a recent BDLI survey even as 82 percent of respondents cited fears of privacy intrusions and criminal misuse.
• Brandenburg police now deploy 30 drone systems equipped with real-time video feeds, thermal imaging cameras and speakers for manhunts, missing-person searches and event security.
• The Potsdam interior ministry plans to acquire a mobile counter-drone system to protect Brandenburg prisons from hostile unmanned aircraft.
• SPD interior politician Uwe Adler is urging national rules requiring unique identification markings and automated electronic registration for all drones in German airspace.