Germany plans to expand research into drone security after a drone carrying explosives was found at Leipzig/Halle airport earlier this week, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.
A new drone security research facility will be established on August 18 at a German Aerospace Center (DLR) test airport in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt, Dobrindt told Sunday's edition of the Bild tabloid.
"The arms race in drone technology requires dedicated research units to keep pace," he said.
The centre will develop and test technologies to protect against drones and bring together researchers, technological innovation and the requirements of security authorities, the interior minister added.
Shortly before midnight on Tuesday, a drone equipped with explosives and a detonator was discovered at the airport near a Ukrainian transport aircraft and was brought down by a member of staff.
In addition, an airborne DHL cargo aircraft collided with an unknown small flying object - possibly a second drone.
Dobrindt has described the incident as a possible "hybrid" attack by foreign powers. He said Germany was not at war but was a daily target of hybrid warfare, including espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks and covert operations aimed at destabilizing the country or causing direct damage.