Anxiety is mounting in Leipzig, Germany, after authorities discovered a third drone—and a military-grade explosive device—near the Leipzig/Halle Airport. The find comes amid an ongoing investigation into a suspected drone collision with a DHL cargo aircraft on August 4 and the earlier discovery of an explosives-laden drone inside the airport perimeter on the same day.
Third Drone and Explosives Found Near Airport Perimeter
According to reports from German public broadcasters NDR and WDR, as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung, the latest drone was recovered on August 14 in Kampelsketal—a rural area bordering the western edge of the Leipzig/Halle Airport. Investigators believe it may have been intended for an attack targeting Ukrainian cargo aircraft operating at the facility, though the device appears to have been defective and failed to function as planned.
At the same location, authorities also uncovered 50 grams of hexogen (also known as RDX or TNT-4), a highly potent military explosive typically reserved for defense applications.
Earlier Incidents Raise Security Concerns
The first explosives-equipped drone was found on August 4 inside the airport grounds, positioned among Ukrainian cargo planes. Its detonator malfunctioned—an apparent technical failure that likely prevented an explosion.
Later that same night, a DHL freight aircraft reportedly collided with an unidentified airborne object traveling at several hundred kilometers per hour. The impact caused only minor damage. However, no drone wreckage—or any identifiable fragments—was recovered during the subsequent search. According to Der Spiegel, investigators remain uncertain whether the object was indeed a drone or possibly a bird, underscoring the difficulty of confirming such incidents without physical evidence.
Additional Equipment and Unanswered Questions
Near the airport’s main runway, in the abandoned village of Kursdorf, authorities discovered electronic equipment consistent with drone control systems—potentially used to operate or coordinate multiple unmanned aerial vehicles.
Despite these findings, key questions remain unresolved: How exactly was the alleged attack orchestrated? Who is responsible? While the Federal Prosecutor’s Office has labeled the series of events a “serious attack on Germany’s transport and logistics infrastructure,” Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described it as a “hybrid attack scenario” and did not rule out involvement by foreign actors.
Security sources have pointed to possible involvement by Russian intelligence services—but Moscow has categorically denied all allegations.