Lower Saxony is arming itself: 7 million euros for drone defense in 2026!

Lower Saxony is arming itself: 7 million euros for drone defense in 2026!

In Lower Saxony, concerns about drone security are increasing. Interior Minister Daniela Behrens (SPD) plans to invest a whopping seven million euros in drone defense next year. This decision follows a worrying trend: more drone overflights were registered in the first half of 2025 than in the entire previous year. In 2024, the police counted a total of 131 incidents in which drones were spotted over military installations, critical infrastructure and companies that supply supplies to the Bundeswehr. These developments raise questions: How safe are our facilities and what is being done to protect them? Loud NDR The Lower Saxony police are currently unable to effectively counter the threats posed by spy drones. Behrens therefore emphasizes the urgency of procuring suitable technologies for detection and defense.

If you take a look at the debates that can be expected at the upcoming interior ministers' conference in the north, it becomes clear that this is about more than just drones. Behrens and her counterparts want to discuss hybrid threats that include not only drones but also cyberattacks. Dealing with such threats remains complex because it is often unclear whether the Bundeswehr or the state police is responsible, especially when drones appear near military locations.

Understanding hybrid threats

Hybrid threats, consisting of a combination of conventional, digital and psychological methods, can significantly endanger the stability of democratic systems. As in a report by Lower Saxony As stated above, the goals of such attacks are to destabilize critical infrastructure and undermine trust in government institutions.

These threats are diverse: from cyber attacks on IT systems to the spread of disinformation. Lower Saxony, highly networked and digitalized, is particularly vulnerable to this. It also often happens that such attacks remain below the threshold of open conflict, making them harder to detect. It is therefore of great importance to sensitize and educate citizens. Measures such as establishing a “single point of contact” in the Home Office and investing in cybersecurity are steps in the right direction.

The way forward

As part of efforts to combat drones and protect critical infrastructure, the Cyberintelligence Institute has presented various measures in a new report. In the deep analysis that CII published, points out the need to promote both structural and technical resilience. The introduction of hard and soft kill measures is discussed, as are psychological factors that play a role in defending against hybrid threats.

It can be summarized: Lower Saxony is facing a challenge that not only affects the police, but also society as a whole. Current strategies to combat hybrid threats require a common understanding and cooperation between the state, business and citizens. This is the only way we as a community can remain strong and resilient to the threats that are in the air.