By Mauro Orru
Arms maker Rheinmetall said it would work with Deutsche Telekom to develop a drone defense shield, stepping up efforts to protect critical infrastructure in Germany from potential acts of sabotage.
Germany reported a series of drone incursions last year that forced the temporary closure of Munich's airport, disrupting flights and stranding passengers in the Bavarian capital. Berlin pledged to tighten security laws to allow for faster detection and destruction of drones.
A string of drone sightings has also been reported near military installations in Belgium and Denmark in recent months, raising fears among European officials of possible spying and acts of sabotage.
Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom said threats from sabotage and drone activity were increasing and agreed to develop technology to counter potential attacks on critical infrastructure in Germany, pooling resources in cybersecurity, physical sensors and the country's telecommunications network to detect drones.
"The threat posed by drones is highly digital. This is why effective defense requires a combination of sensors, effectors, and secure communication networks," Rheinmetall Chief Executive Armin Papperger said.
The announcement--which comes a day ahead of the AFCEA security technology trade show in the German city of Bonn--shows that Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom are stepping up efforts to devise an effective system to detect and counter drones as German authorities push for tighter oversight.
Drone detection isn't new for either company. Rheinmetall in December struck a partnership with the police and the port authority in the city of Hamburg to develop technologies for the protection of maritime, civilian and critical infrastructure. Meanwhile, Deutsche Telekom detected drones on behalf of the police during the European soccer championship in 2024.
The companies said radio-frequency sensors offered a common method to detect drones since most are flown within visual range using a radio remote control that communicates via radio frequency. RF sensors can track signals and reveal the position of drones and controllers.
However, the growing number of drones operated via cellular networks poses a challenge because they blend in with legitimate network traffic. The companies said the mobile network would act as a sensor in the future to detect changes and anomalies in data traffic from drone control and make them visible to emergency services.
The companies said they would disclose more details of their drone-detection partnership at a later date.
Write to Mauro Orru at mauro.orru@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
05-11-26 0734ET
