What happened?
A recent survey conducted by the company Droniq and the Federal Association for the Protection of Critical Infrastructure (BSKI) reveals a significant security gap among German operators of critical infrastructure (KRITIS). According to the survey, 54.7 percent of the 104 participants reported unauthorized or security-relevant drone flights over the past twelve months. Despite these concrete incidents, nearly half (46.5 percent) of the affected organizations have so far failed to implement any drone detection measures whatsoever.
The survey, conducted in August, thus reveals, according to Droniq and BSKI, "a gap between risk awareness and preparedness."
The details
Awareness of the threat posed by drones is fundamentally present among respondents: 46.2 percent already view drones as a real threat today, while another 36.5 percent believe drones could become a threat in the future. Sabotage (46.5 percent) and disruption of operational processes (39.5 percent) were cited as the greatest risks. Espionage (7 percent) and data protection risks (5.8 percent) play a considerably smaller role in the participants' assessment.
Companies and institutions from various critical infrastructure sectors took part in the survey: government/administration (31 participants), transport (31), energy (17), IT/telecommunications (15), water (5), healthcare (2), space (2), and food (1).
Jan-Eric Putze, managing director of Droniq, a joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Flugsicherung (German Air Navigation Services), emphasizes the need for comprehensive airspace monitoring: "Operators of critical infrastructure need to know what is happening in their airspace." He stresses that what matters is not merely detecting drones, but also being able to assess which aircraft are legitimately permitted in the airspace and which are not.
Context
The topic of drone detection has gained additional political urgency following a concrete incident: the discovery of a bomb-carrying drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport has placed the issue high on the political agenda. This incident demonstrates that the concerns expressed in the survey are by no means theoretical, but represent real security risks to critical infrastructure.
As a direct response, Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) announced during a visit to the Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) tower at Frankfurt Airport in August that interim technology from DFS would be deployed in the approach and departure areas of major German airports in the short term. The goal is to detect drones more quickly and at an earlier stage in the future.
For the security industry as a whole, this development shows that traditional perimeter security concepts must be expanded to include a three-dimensional component. Those who have so far focused only on ground-level threats now face the challenge of also effectively monitoring the airspace above sensitive facilities.
Practical tips
- Operators of critical infrastructure should check whether unauthorized drone flights have already occurred in their vicinity – the survey suggests this is already the case for a majority of organizations.
- Mere detection of drones is not sufficient. According to Droniq managing director Putze, the ability to assess which flights are authorized and which are not is equally important.
- Given that sabotage and disruption of operations were cited as the greatest risks, protective concepts should be specifically tailored to these threat scenarios.
- Operators should keep an eye on political and regulatory developments, as further requirements for airports—and possibly other critical infrastructure sectors—can be expected following the Leipzig incident.
Outlook
The interim technology announced by Deutsche Flugsicherung for the approach and departure areas of major German airports marks an initial concrete step by policymakers to respond to the heightened threat situation. It is likely that pressure to act will extend to other critical infrastructure operators beyond the airport sector, as the survey results reveal a protection gap spanning multiple industries.
The discrepancy between risk awareness and actually implemented protective measures is likely to remain a focus for associations, policymakers, and security service providers in the coming months. For operators of critical infrastructure across various sectors—from energy and water to healthcare—this means that investments in drone detection systems will be difficult to avoid in the medium term if sabotage and operational disruptions are to be effectively prevented.
