European officials have for years been warning about what they allege is heightened Russian hybrid and sabotage warfare targeting Europe and its airspace in connection with the long-running Ukraine war.
They've been further sounding the alarm in the wake of this month's drone incident near a runway at Leipzig Airport. Reports say a drone carrying explosives was found at this location, which remains one of Europe's largest cargo hubs, and is also used for NATO logistics.
A NATO spokesperson later specified with the explosive-laden drone, which was equipped with a detonator, appeared to have been targeting an aircraft belonging to the Ukrainian cargo carrier Antonov Airlines.
This close call incident came in the wake of a series of mystery drone incidents which in some cases paused operations at commercial aviation hubs in northern Europe. While some episodes could have been the result of hobby drones or else local pranks or false alarms, EU officials have still long suspected Russian-linked nefarious actors.
Now Germany in particular is stepping up anti-drone security and monitoring measures, by establishing its first major drone security research center.
The new Drone Security Technology Center is part of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), and officially opened Tuesday in the town of Cochsted, which is famous for its aviation history. The center will focus on research and technology for detecting hostile or unknown drone activity, protecting critical infrastructure from such incursions.
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced, "Together with the DLR we are creating, with the new technology center, a facility that is unique nationwide, where innovative technologies for drone security are researched, developed and tested in real-life laboratories."
He described the new drone threat facing Germany and Europe more broadly as part of the "shadow war of the 21st century".
"Within the growing network of future test-field activities, the National Test Centre plays an integrative role as a trailblazer for future research and development of new UAS technologies within the DLR and for external partners," the center's website states.
The facility will further provide rare opportunity for drones and counter-drone technology to be tested in 'real-world conditions' and in multiple scenarios and settings, officials have described.