Thursday, March 19
Versatile and cheap to produce, drones are considered dangerous weapons that are currently being used in major conflicts throughout the world. To protect Berlin from the damage they can potentially cause, the CDU has presented their plan for a protective shield against drone attacks.
The plan outlines covering the Berlin city area with a network of 62 radio sensors, each monitoring a radius of five to ten kilometres. In Mitte, this would be seven camera sensors with a range of about 1.2 kilometres. Their job would be to track and report drones to a situation centre that the CDU have suggested to be in a building of former Tempelhof Airport.
However, questions remain. For example, how could people and buildings be protected from falling debris? One potential solution would be interception drones equipped with nets.
The plan comes after growing concerns around the presence of drones in Berlin. Recently, they were spotted again at BER, interrupting flights. In December, an anti-drone unit of the Federal Police was set up in Ahrensfelde.
Later that month, the federal police opened the joint drone defense center of the federal and state governments (GDAZ) on Schöneberger Ufer in Kreuzberg. Their purpose is to share information and coordinate measures concerning drones between representatives of the security authorities, the Federal Criminal Police Office, the Bundeswehr and the intelligence services.
Berlin’s protective shield could be installed within six months. The budget for this plan is €5 million. CDU faction leader Dirk Stettner told B.Z, “We are working to make Berlin safer. And there is a technique that can do that. The coalition has already provided funds in the budget.”
