[Skybird]

The Deutsche Welle writes:



According to an analysis by the Bundeswehr think tank GIDS, Germany is hardly equipped against attacks with combat drones. This is a danger for the military, but also for the population in the event of terrorist attacks.

For their analysis, the experts from the German Armed Forces think tank GIDS examined the international market and the course of the fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh, where Azerbaijan defeated Armenia with drones last year.

"To put it very drastically: If the Bundeswehr had to fight against Azerbaijan in this specific conflict, it would hardly have had a chance," states Lieutenant Colonel Michael Karl, GIDS expert on modern warfare and new technologies. "With weapon systems that were used such as combat drones and kamikaze drones, we would not have been able to defend ourselves adequately. The lack of army anti-aircraft defense alone would have been our undoing."

The GIDS (German Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies) is a cooperation between the leadership academy of the Bundeswehr and the Helmut Schmidt University / University of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg. The institute examines security policy problems and advises politics and the military leadership.

In order to survive in a modern conflict, the Bundeswehr needs technologies that Germany basically has, but that are not used in the military. So far, the Bundeswehr has only used the unmanned missiles for reconnaissance and observation.

Allies and possible opponents have armed drones with which areas can be observed and missiles can also be fired at targets via control commands.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Karl, kamikaze drones or so-called disposable drones are themselves weapons, i.e. equipped with explosives. "Unlike a rocket, in which you enter target coordinates, these types of drones pursue their target," explains Karl. According to him, a swarm of such drones can be programmed to attack a formation of battle tanks. Drones could also learn about artificial intelligence and ultimately find their target without human control. The expert also sees the danger in the possibilities this opens up for terrorism, since the technology is now widely available. A commercially available drone can be restructured and programmed into a combat drone. "It's not just about protecting our soldiers from drones, but also about protecting the civilian population."

It is clear that the heated debate between the Union and the SPD about arming the Bundeswehr with drones has been overtaken by reality. The armament alone might no longer be enough. The Greens no longer categorically rule out the use of armed drones. With a lead of only four votes, a majority voted at the online party congress to examine the conditions for this.