Germany’s Bundeswehr is to acquire net-launcher drones to protect barracks and other military facilities from espionage and sabotage drones. The Bundestag’s Budget Committee approved the procurement on Wednesday. The systems, reportedly supplied by ARGUS Interception and centred on the A1-Falke interceptor, will capture unauthorised drones rather than destroy them, enabling use in urban and densely populated areas.
The drones are intended to form part of a layered counter-drone capability alongside jammers and radar-based detection systems. Capturing an aircraft with a net reduces the risk of falling debris and can preserve the intercepted drone as evidence for subsequent investigation.
The procurement will support protection of Bundeswehr facilities in Germany and potentially overseas, although no specific locations have been identified. The Defence Ministry has not disclosed the planned quantity or cost, citing military and operational security. Budget Committee approval is required for Bundeswehr procurement projects valued at €25 million or more.
Specialist defence reporting describes the acquisition as a seven-year framework agreement that could cover about 450 complete systems. An initial tranche reportedly worth around €165 million could be delivered in 2027, but those figures have not been included in the ministry’s public confirmation and remain subject to attribution. The approval authorises procurement; it does not indicate that the full fleet has been delivered or deployed.