More mystery drones spotted over European military sites

More suspicious drones have been spotted near Danish and Norwegian military sites just hours after mysterious activity sparked espionage fears in Germany.

A spate of drone sightings is causing alarm across northern Europe and Scandinavia following overnight reports of suspicious aircraft being deployed.

The army in Norway reported seeing a possible drone near the Ørland air force base in Brekstad this morning at about 6am.

Guards logged at least two reports of suspicious activity over the base, which is home to Norway’s F-35 fighter jets, according to FVN.

Meanwhile in neighbouring Denmark, suspicious drone activity was reported over the Karup military airport overnight, the country’s largest military site, and over other locations.

The Danish defence ministry confirmed that ‘several’ drones were observed over military sites, but it has not confirmed a full list of locations.

Mum Christina Jensen said her 10-year-old son saw green and red flashing lights on the sky near Silkeborg last night, which made him ‘very very scared.’

She told TVMV: ‘I reassured my son that it was just planes and stars, but I could see that it was drones.

‘He is sure that war will break out and that he will not be allowed to live. He is very, very scared.’

In Estonia, a member of the public reportedly discovered a drone fragment at the Luitemaa nature reserve south of Pärnu this morning, the ERR reports.

Authorities in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein are now investigating the prospect that the drones were up to espionage or sabotage after sightings on Friday, the interior minister said.

The sightings came the night before the German military held drills in Hamburg aimed at strengthening defences against drone incursions.

Schleswig-Holstein Interior Minister Sütterlin-Waack said state police are boosting counter-drone defenses in coordination with Bundeswehr and neighbouring regions.

Where the drones spotted originated from and what is behind the flights remains unclear, but a number of drones were also spotted in the state in August.

Drone activity in Denmark has caused concern after the country’s busiest airport was forced to shut on Monday, wreaking havoc on travel as planes were grounded. More drones were reported over the Aalborg, Sonderborg and Esbjerg airports and near the Skrydstrup airbase.

At least two more large drones were seen flying over the Karlskrona archipelago in southern Sweden on Thursday night, just six miles from the nearby naval base.

The Thursday night drone activity in Sweden is thought to be related to the recent disruption in Denmark on Monday, the Swedish police revealed.

Police were alerted near the Möcklösundsbron bridge, where they saw one of the drones in action.

Mattias Lundgren, an investigation lead at the Karlskrona police, told Swedish outlet SVT: ‘It is a larger variant, similar to the one that was over Denmark and Skåne.’

Locals in Sturko and Tjurko reported seeing two drones, which flashed red and green, the police command centre said.

Detectives are not yet sure what the drones are, and no aircraft has been seized.

Mr Lundgren said: ‘It is unclear what it is, but we have filed a report of a violation of the Aviation Act.’

He said they reacted quickly to the sighting because it ‘reminds us’ of the events in Denmark and Norway.

In neighbouring Denmark, a ‘capable actor’ is suspected of deploying a fleet of drones to Copenhagen Airport to ‘show off.’

While the sightings were made near the navy base, the military is not involved in the investigation, it is understood.

Jens Jespersen, police inspector in Copenhagen Police, said: ‘There is nothing to suggest that they intended to harm anyone. They intended to show off.

‘It is an actor who has the capabilities, the will and the tools to show off in this way.’

Denmark’s minister of defence, Troels Lund Poulsen, has requested help from his Nordic colleagues and NATO following the incidents, according to Danish TV2.

He asked for assistance with additional technology and capacity.

Drones were also spotted hovering near the Oslo airport, but it is not known whether the incidents were connected.

The aviation industry is on high alert across the US and Europe after a cyber attack disrupted operations across major airports, including Heathrow, Brussels and Berlin.

Airline staff were forced to manually input passenger and baggage details after a cyber incident affecting Collins Aerospace which provides ground services across many airports.

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