A drone with a detonator was found near a Ukrainian plane in Germany — Bild
The German Federal Police discovered a drone equipped with a detonator near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane at Leipzig/Halle Airport. The incident occurred on the night of August 4 and led to a temporary suspension of flights. Law enforcement officials have launched an investigation.
According to the publication, the suspicious drone was lying on the tarmac near the Ukrainian aircraft. To defuse it, the Federal Police called in bomb disposal experts and a remotely operated robot.
Due to the incident, airport operations were temporarily suspended until 1:55 a.m. One passenger plane, en route from Mallorca, was diverted to Nuremberg. In the morning, the southern runway remained closed due to the ongoing investigation, although the rest of the airport was operating normally.
After the alert was lifted, the Ukrainian cargo plane attempted to take off again. However, approximately six kilometers from the airport at an altitude of about 400 meters, it collided in mid-air with an unidentified object.
The crew was able to safely land the plane in Hanover. During an inspection, experts discovered minor damage to the front of the aircraft.
The Lower Saxony State Police classified the incident as a crime against national security. Law enforcement officials are considering the possibility of sabotage. The investigation is being conducted jointly by the police forces of Lower Saxony and Saxony. The search for the person who may have been operating the drone is currently underway, according to Bild.
Earlier, Germany confirmed the transfer of the latest RCH 155 howitzers to Ukraine.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian-American company Swarmer is integrating its drone swarm control system with the SpatialCore platform developed by the American company Brightline Interactive. This collaboration will allow the combat experience of Ukrainian drones to be used to train artificial intelligence models being developed for the U.S. Department of Defense.
In addition, the United States and Ukraine have signed an agreement providing for the export of Ukrainian land, air, and sea drones to the U.S. for military testing. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported this, citing sources in Washington.
