Germany to launch nationwide AI‑driven drone detection and defence network

The German air navigation service Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) announced a partnership with Deutsche Telekom and defence‑electronics firm Hensoldt to build a nationwide platform for drone detection and neutralisation. Using artificial intelligence, the system will fuse data from mobile‑network masts with defence installations at airports, power plants and Bundeswehr sites, creating a real‑time aerial picture up to 300 metres. The goal is to protect critical infrastructure and counter what DFS chief Arndt Schoenemann calls the “beginning of hybrid warfare”. He stressed the need for a centrally managed system, saying, “Instead of a patchwork of facilities and responsibilities we need a centrally led drone detection and defence where all information converges.”