Germany opens drone defence centre after Leipzig scare

Germany opened a new drone defence research centre on Tuesday, with Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt saying it would strengthen the country's response to hostile drones after an explosives-laden unmanned aerial vehicle was found at Leipzig airport earlier this month.

Dobrindt said at the site, a former commercial airport about 200 kilometres south of Berlin, that the centre would become a central part of Germany's security architecture against what Berlin calls hybrid threats.

The Leipzig incident disrupted flights for several hours while police used a bomb-disposal robot to remove the explosives' detonator. Berlin has not speculated on the motive or identity of those responsible.

Dobrindt said the Leipzig discovery was not an "isolated case" and that "the threat situation has become more acute". The Federal Criminal Police Office said nearly 1,000 suspicious drones flew over critical infrastructure in Germany last year.

Leipzig airport is a key logistics hub for military goods moved by the German armed forces and NATO allies and also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.