German Military Probes Drone Flights Over Mechernich Base

German authorities are investigating a series of suspicious drone flights over a highly secure military base in Mechernich, an incident that has heightened security concerns following a similar breach at a key cargo airport earlier in the week. The German Armed Forces confirmed that security surveillance at the Bundeswehr base in Mechernich, located in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia, reported seeing two drones around 10 p.m. on Thursday, August 6. The sightings were confirmed, and military police forces were deployed to the site. The Euskirchen police department has opened an investigation into the matter.

The Mechernich base is a critical logistics hub for the German military. It houses a massive, high-security underground warehouse and serves as Europe's only Patriot shipyard, a specialized facility where technicians maintain and repair the U.S.-made air defense systems. According to reports from German broadcasters and newspapers, security personnel recorded six separate drone flights over the facility between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. local time on Friday, August 7. Local police from the Euskirchen district were called to the scene and personally witnessed at least...