The Bundestag’s budget committee approved the purchase of net-firing interceptor drones to protect Bundeswehr sites on 14 October, the German defence ministry said. It was one of four purchases the committee cleared that day, each above the €25 million line at which a Bundeswehr purchase needs its approval.
The ministry gave no maker, quantity or price. The order covers the drones, their first spare parts, training and other services.
The drones catch an intruding drone in a net. The ministry said they usually work alongside jammers and detection radars, and that a net makes interception possible in built-up areas too. The Bundeswehr received its first drones of this type in 2025 for testing and training, and can now order improved ones.
The ministry’s reason is a rising number of small drones seen over military sites, which it links to spying and sabotage attempts. Flying over a military site without permission is “no trivial offence”, its statement said. Each branch of the armed forces now has quick-reaction counter-drone teams, which have already helped Belgium and Denmark.
The photo on the ministry’s announcement is captioned as an Argus interceptor. ARGUS Interception, founded in 2023 in Rotenburg (Wümme) by former Bundeswehr officers, said in September 2025 that it had delivered its net interceptor drone to the Bundeswehr. In February it said it had delivered its A1-Falke net drones to the federal police.
ARGUS has not announced the new Bundeswehr order. Its latest release, this month, says Hamburg’s police aim to put its systems into service before the end of the year.
The committee also cleared new Patriot fire units, bought from the US government to replace those Germany gave Ukraine in 2025.
