There were flights by unknown drones over the US Air Force base in Ramstein at the beginning of December.

This was confirmed on Friday by a spokesperson for the US military and German security circles. According to the statement, unknown drones were spotted over the extensive area near Kaiserslautern on the evenings of December 3 and 4. The drone pilots could not be traced, "but they were not hobby pilots", according to security circles. Der Spiegel had previously reported on the incidents.

A US Air Force spokesperson said that drones had been spotted near and above the base at the beginning of December without causing any disruption. "In cooperation with the host nation authorities, we continue to monitor the airspace to ensure the safety of the population." The number of drones had fluctuated and they had varied in size and configuration. The population is also being asked to inform the German police or the US armed forces in the event of suspicious observations. The air force did not say whether the security measures at the base had been increased.

In recent months, there have been a number of drone flights over strategically important facilities in Germany. In the summer, there were reports of drones of unknown origin flying over an LNG terminal in Brunsbüttel, Schleswig-Holstein. At the time, the Flensburg public prosecutor's office launched an investigation on suspicion of "agent activity for sabotage purposes". There are suspicions, but no known evidence, that Russia or China could be behind this.

Der Spiegel reported that drones have also been spotted over plants belonging to the Rheinmetall armaments group and the chemical giant BASF in recent weeks. The federal and state governments have not yet been able to agree on a uniform approach to drone defense. The respective state police are responsible, but often lack the appropriate equipment.

(Report by Andreas Rinke and Rachel More, edited by Thomas Seythal)