Drones spotted over main US military base in Europe – Der Spiegel

UAVs of unknown origin have reportedly buzzed the Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

Unidentified drones have repeatedly flown over the Ramstein Air Base in western Germany, Der Spiegel has reported, citing security sources in Berlin. UAVs have also been spotted over facilities owned by chemicals giant BASF and arms maker Rheinmetall.

Ramstein Air Base was built shortly after WWII and has long been the main US Air Force hub on the continent. Several drones were detected over the facility in the evening of December 3 and the following day, according to a classified German security report quoted by Der Spiegel on Friday.

“At the beginning of December, there were several sightings of small unmanned aircraft in the area and above Ramstein Air Base,” a base spokeswoman told the magazine.

“They had no impact on the residents of the base or on the facilities and military equipment there,” she added, noting that the USAF is in “close coordination” with the German authorities regarding the incident.

Even though the local authorities launched “intensive search measures,” the drone pilot was never found.

The public prosecutor’s office in nearby Flensburg has launched an investigation into the flights, citing suspected “agent activity for the purposes of sabotage.” The German military has also been alerted.

The matter was reportedly brought up at a security conference in Brandenburg last week, but no consensus was reached on how to deal with the alleged spy flights.

Berlin is reportedly concerned about sabotage due to its support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. German authorities have been on edge ever since several suspected spy flights were detected over a chemical park and a liquefied natural gas terminal in Schleswig-Holstein this summer.

While the German Defense Ministry declined to comment, a security source confirmed the report to Reuters.

In recent weeks, drones have also been spotted over properties belonging to the chemical industry giant BASF and the weapons manufacturer Rheinmetall. BASF issued a statement saying that the safety of its facilities is a “top priority” and that it has been working closely with the security authorities and keeping “an eye on suspicious activities at all times.”