Germany launches specialised anti-drone police unit

Germany launched a new drone defence police unit on Tuesday as the country scrambles to respond to UAV incursions widely blamed on Russia.

Major airports will also be outfitted to detect and defend against unmanned aerial vehicles, the interior ministry said.

The federal police unit will have "a clear mandate to detect, defend, intercept and, if necessary, shoot down drones," Interior Minister Alexander Drobrindt said at a ceremony near Berlin.

"We cannot accept that hybrid threats using drones remain a danger to our security," he added.

Dobrindt said Germany is investing more than 100 million euros ($116 million) in drone defence technology over the coming year, and plans to grow the new police unit to more than 130 officers.

Germa

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