Sawt Falasteen - Germany opens new drone research centre as security threats mount

The inauguration of the site, at a Soviet-era airfield in the former East Germany, comes less than two weeks after an explosives-laden drone was found at Leipzig airport, a key logistics hub for weapons sent to Ukraine.

Drone sightings have multiplied over other key sites, from military bases to airports, with suspicion often falling on Russia due to Germany's long-running support for Ukraine in its fight against Moscow.

Russia has consistently denied conducting any such operations.

"We are significantly strengthening our ability to respond to hostile drones," German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the opening of the centre, which will focus on detecting and identifying unmanned aerial vehicles.

The site "will constitute a central element of the security architecture in the face of the hybrid threat posed by drones," he added at the site on a former commercial airport in Hecklingen about 200 kilometres (125 miles) south of Berlin.

Berlin uses the term hybrid warfare to refer to hostile actions short of unambiguous military attacks, including espionage, arson and sabotage, by or on behalf of foreign powers.

Last year nearly 1,000 suspicious drones flew over critical infrastructure in Germany, according to police.

Dobrindt warned that the explosive found at Leipzig earlier this month was no "isolated case".

"Leipzig is part of a wider picture," he said. "The threat situation has become more acute."

- 'Detection measures needed' -

Berlin has so far refused to speculate on the motives or identity of those responsible for the incident at Leipzig.

Flights to the airport were diverted for several hours as police deployed a bomb-disposal robot to remove the explosives' detonator.

The airport in eastern Germany plays a key role in the transport of military goods by the German armed forces and NATO allies. It also serves as a base for Ukraine's Antonov Airlines.

Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, head of the German Aerospace Centre research agency, told AFP that the new centre would focus on drone detection.

Once a drone was detected it was necessary to know "whether it was equipped with a camera or an explosive", she said.

The overall goal was "to test anti-drone defence systems under real-world conditions", she added.

About 65 people will work at the complex.

Daniel Niesler of the pilots' union Vereinigung Cockpit said Germany had to boost its detection capabilities.

"Before taking defensive measures, there are detection measures. And currently, they are not in place," he said.

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST