German military bans commercially available Chinese drones, Spiegel reports
BERLIN, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Germany's military has banned commercially available Chinese-made drones from its barracks and training grounds, effective immediately, due to security concerns, Der Spiegel news outlet reported on Tuesday.
Germany's military has instituted an immediate ban on commercially available Chinese drones, citing security concerns as reported by Der Spiegel. The Defence Ministry could not be reached for comment outside of regular business hours. Western military forces have become increasingly wary of the potential security risks posed by Chinese-made technology, which could potentially transmit sensitive information to Beijing.
Der Spiegel revealed that the drones, procured by military units in recent years with limited oversight, are being withdrawn from service as swiftly as possible. Local commanders had previously been permitted to acquire them under a 2024 strategy that included a whitelist of approved systems, including drones from the Chinese manufacturer DJI, the world's largest producer of such equipment.
Due to the lack of a central record of purchases by individual units, the military has had to implement a comprehensive ban. The United States recently barred vehicles from China's BYD on its air base in Japan's Okinawa island, while Poland banned Chinese-made vehicles from military facilities in February due to concerns about potential data collection through their sensors.
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