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Germany To Allow Police To Shoot Down Drones (reuters.com)

(Wednesday October 08, 2025 @11:30PM (BeauHD) from the sky's-the-limit dept.)


Germany's cabinet has approved a new law [1]allowing police to shoot down or disable rogue drones that threaten airspace security, following recent airport disruptions attributed to Russian reconnaissance. "Other techniques available to down drones include using lasers or jamming signals to sever control and navigation links," notes Reuters. From the report:

> With the new law, Germany joins European countries that have recently given security forces powers to down drones violating their airspace, including Britain, France, Lithuania and Romania. A dedicated counter-drone unit will be created within the federal police, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, and researchers would consult with Israel and Ukraine as they were more advanced in drone technology. Police would deal with drones flying at around tree-level, whereas more powerful drones should be tackled by the military, Dobrindt said.

>

> Germany recorded 172 drone-related disruptions to air traffic between January and the end of September 2025, up from 129 in the same period last year and 121 in 2023, according to data from Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS). German military drills last month in the northern port city of Hamburg demonstrated how like a spider, a large military drone shot a net at a smaller one in mid-flight, entangling its propellers and forcing it to the ground, where a robotic dog trotted over to seek possible explosives. Shooting down drones could be unsafe in densely populated urban areas, however, and airports do not necessarily have detection systems that can immediately report sightings.



[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/germany-allow-police-shoot-down-drones-2025-10-08/



Begun, the Drone Wars have. (Score:2)

by TigerPlish ( 174064 )

Sorry, had to do it. It was just there, man.

But, on a serious note.. I saw vid of a drone swarm in China gone wrong, and it torched a town.

Imagine drone swarms designed for that.

Begun, the Drone Wars have. Born in the Ukraine/Russia war.

Re: (Score:2)

by Kernel Kurtz ( 182424 )

Wait till "The Authorities" have swarms of millions and the compute to back it. Like your own friendly cops watching over you day and night. Glad I won't be here for that.

Re: (Score:2)

by PPH ( 736903 )

[1]https://just-fucking-google.vercel.app?s=Chinese%20drone%20show%20disaster&e=finger [vercel.app]

[1] https://just-fucking-google.vercel.app?s=Chinese%20drone%20show%20disaster&e=finger

Genius (Score:1)

by Twipped ( 10473954 )

What could go wrong with letting the police discharge their firearms into the sky?

Re: (Score:2)

by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )

Nobody will use firearms. There will be special police units armed with appropriate AAC weaponry. But it will be a police action, not a military action, so the ruzzkie propaganda won't be able to claim it is a "NATO war against our assets in their airspace".

And of course you can see the answer to your question - what can go wrong when a drone is shot from the sky incompetently - if you follow the ruzzkie news. At least a quarter of putinland's oil-processing facilities have been destroyed or damaged by fall

Re: Genius (Score:2)

by shm ( 235766 )

Citation requested for the oil refinery claim. They are not small places. You'd need masses of drones to take one out.

This will end in disaster (Score:2)

by NewtonsLaw ( 409638 )

What the hell are they smoking?

Numerous very experienced people have correlated a great number of the so called "drone" sightings with the ADSB tracks of legitimate aircraft and not one shred of evidence has been presented that these "sightings" are actually drones operated by Russia or other bad actors.

Remember New York and New Jersey last year when the skies were filled with " [1]mystery drones" [nbcnews.com] that turned out to be simply scheduled night flights of passenger jets and helicopters?

Then there was a spate of "

[1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/white-house-says-new-jersey-drones-authorized-faa-was-not-enemy-rcna189646

Re: (Score:2)

by Mr. Dollar Ton ( 5495648 )

You must be very innocent at heart if you believe every incident is dutifully reported by the press. Quite the opposite, in the "interests" of "keeping the tensions low", most incidents don't make it into the news.

Also, excluding the confirmed fact of many drones ostensibly aimed at Ukraine crossing into NATO airspace (Poland, Hungary, Romania) and elsewhere (mostly Belarus) over the last few years, which you choose to ignore, yes, it is an absolute case of hysteria.

And of course you're correct to point out

Re: (Score:2)

by Tough Love ( 215404 )

Good thing they ignore the anecdotes of random slashdotters.

Re: (Score:2)

by Kernel Kurtz ( 182424 )

> If the Germans open fire on these "mystery lights" then there is a huge potential for tragedy

Of course Russia would totally never do anything nefarious in European airspace (cough). You are certainly correct the big net won't work well on a fighter jet but I'd try not to lose too much sleep over it.

A New York City ordinance prohibits the shooting of rabbits from the
rear of a Third Avenue street car -- if the car is in motion.