Drones Swarm German Patriot Repair Base

German security agencies are examining a series of mysterious drone flights over a heavily guarded military base in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Bundeswehr facility in Mechernich, situated 130 meters deep and spanning 30,000 square meters, stores crucial equipment and spare parts. It also serves as Europe's sole "Patriot shipyard," where US-made Patriot air defense systems are maintained and repaired.

On Friday, Aug. 7, security guards documented six distinct drone visits between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time. Police from Euskirchen district were alerted and observed at least one drone closely circling the base. Military investigators suspect Chinese-made Foxtech Fly-380 VTOL drones, which possess a 3.8-meter wingspan, 400km range, 150km/h speed, and over ten kilogram payload capacity.

However, no sanctioned civilian use of this drone model has been detected. Authorities are treating the incident as unauthorized espionage. This follows a drone incident at Leipzig-Halle airport on Aug. 5, where a drone with an explosive attachment nearly caused chaos. Ukrainian Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev accused Russia of both the Leipzig and Mechernich incidents, a claim echoed by US and European intelligence agencies who view the occurrences as part of a coordinated effort by Moscow to test NATO's defenses. Over 144 suspicious drones have been spotted in 13 European countries since August 2024.