Explosive drone found hovering near Ukrainian cargo aircraft at German airport
Explosive drone targeted parked aircraft at Leipzig airport.
Explosive drone targeted parked aircraft at Leipzig airport.
The short version
- German police disarmed a drone carrying explosives after it was discovered near Ukrainian cargo aircraft parked at Leipzig airport—and authorities are looking into the possibility of a second drone after an approaching aircraft collided with something midair.
- The drone was first spotted by an airport employee hovering close to the ground between two parked An-124 cargo aircraft owned by Ukraine’s Antonov Airlines shortly before midnight on August 4, according to The Guardian .
- It had apparently been modified to help avoid detection by the airport’s drone defense sensors, said Alexander Dobrindt, federal minister of the interior for Germany, during a press conference.
What happened
Dobrindt described the drone as carrying a fist-sized package of a substance believed to be the plastic explosive Semtex. Only a failed detonator prevented the drone from exploding near the Ukrainian cargo aircraft, he said.
Why it matters
German police used a bomb disposal robot to help disarm the drone and later carried out a controlled explosion, according to BBC News .
Summary by Nerd News Network. Read the full article at Ars Technica via the links above and below.