BERLIN, August 7. /TASS/. Unknown drones were observed over the Bundeswehr facility in Mechernich, North Rhine-Westphalia, where a significant weapons and spare parts warehouse is situated alongside repair facilities for Patriot air defense systems, according to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, citing a confidential police report.

The newspaper reports that employees of a private security firm documented six drone flights between Thursday evening and Friday morning and promptly alerted police. Early Friday morning, law enforcement officers arriving at the scene also spotted a large drone that briefly circled overhead. Military police suspect the drone was a Fly-380 VTOL model, characterized by a wingspan of up to 3.80 meters. It is capable of reaching speeds up to 150 km/h and with a range of approximately 400 km.

The identity of those responsible for the UAV flights remains unknown. Sueddeutsche Zeitung notes that authorities are ruling out the possibility that a drone used for routine tasks such as topographical surveys inadvertently flew over the base during nighttime hours. A case has been opened on suspicion of unauthorized surveillance of military installations. Investigations are ongoing, involving military counterintelligence (MAD) and the Joint Drone Countermeasures Center in Berlin.

The Bundeswehr Operations Command has confirmed the incident, stating that at least two drones were observed. Sueddeutsche Zeitung highlights that the Mechernich base is referred to as a Patriot shipyard, with the warehouse covering approximately 30,000 square meters.