BERLIN, August 11. /TASS/. Germany does not have adequate defenses against drones, said Jan-Eric Putze, the managing director of German company Droniq specializing in drone traffic management and integration into civilian and commercial air traffic.

In his opinion, the country lacks a system that would provide a comprehensive picture of drones and other flying objects in its airspace. He said the recent incident in Leipzig demonstrated the importance of transparency and reliable situation assessment.

"Only a person in full control of the situation can make correct decisions," the DPA news agency quoted him as saying.

In Putze’s words, monitoring itself does not present a problem from the technical standpoint, even in vast areas. He suggested radio frequency (RF) scanning, aimed at tracking the frequencies typically used for remote drone control, as the first and most accessible method. It will allow the detection and tracking of the vast majority of drone movements, he continued. Besides, RF sensors can be supplemented with microphones and cameras, capable of autonomously detecting UAVs with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Based on the threat level to the protected facilities, the use of passive radars could provide the next possible level of protection.

However, in the expert’s opinion, the information received from these systems will be of little use if not combined into a single picture with recorded air traffic, including authorized drone flights.

"Security begins with a general picture," he said, adding that only in this case can it be possible to identify suspicious aircraft, such as those performing unregistered flights or demonstrating unusual behavior.

At this point, only a limited number of municipalities, such as Monchengladbach and Paderborn, are working on similar solutions. From his perspective, a pioneering project is under way in the Spree-Neisse area, whose Lusatia district automatically registers and issues permits for every flight.

Overnight into August 5, a drone with an improvised explosive device was found at Leipzig/Halle Airport next to a Ukrainian An cargo aircraft. German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a "hybrid attack scenario" and suggested that it was masterminded by "foreign states." The incident is being investigated by the Office of the Federal Public Prosecutor General.