As things stand today, Germany is unable to effectively protect its critical infrastructure and major public events from illegally operated drones at all times. An amendment to the Aviation Security Act is now intended to remedy this situation. The draft presented by the Federal Ministry of the Interior and approved by the Federal Cabinet provides for the German Armed Forces to support the federal states in averting danger by way of administrative assistance. “We welcome the fact that Germany's security architecture is to be adapted to new technological challenges,” emphasizes Dr. Gerald Wissel, CEO of UAV DACH. “However, the proposed tightening of the Aviation Security Act is putting the cart before the horse. To ensure that the last resort is not necessary in the best-case scenario, it is urgent to lay important foundations that are unfortunately being neglected in the current political debate.”
The prerequisite for effectively defending against illegally operated drones is a shared airspace situation picture among all relevant authorities. In addition, mandatory, tamper-proof electronic visibility of all participants in lower airspace using existing technologies such as ADS-L is crucial in order to be able to distinguish between legally and illegally operated drones at all times. “I cannot stress enough that we urgently need a national task force led by the Federal Ministry of the Interior to coordinate the necessary measures in the area of drone detection and defense at the federal and state levels,” says Dr. Gerald Wissel, reiterating a demand made by the European Association for Unmanned Aviation. “This is the only way to establish clear responsibilities, prevent unilateral action and a patchwork of measures, and ensure a coordinated approach across Europe.”