Frigate “Hessen” unknowingly shoots down an allied drone

As of: 4:26 pm | Reading time: 4 minutes

DHis Bundeswehr warship “Hessen” was inadvertently shot down by an Allied-owned drone during its operations in the Red Sea. Defense Ministry spokesman Michael Stemfill said on Wednesday that a German warship had already spotted a drone in the operational area on Monday, which was initially not assigned to any allies. “Hesse” tried to shoot down this drone, but failed. “The case was settled that it was not a hostile drone, it only became clear later.”

Stemple did not say which country the drone was later assigned to. However, before the bombing, “Hesse” asked all allies, and he openly insisted that no country had reported its own drone in the operational area. It was later revealed that it was an undeclared drone. It is well known that there are US war drones in the area that have nothing to do with the operation in the Red Sea.

An investigation is currently underway into how the drone was nearly shot down. According to the industry blog “augengeradeaus.net”, it is an American drone of the MQ-9 type, often referred to as the Reaper. According to the information available, he traveled through the airspace without an Identification Friend-Foe (IFF) transponder, without knowledge of operational centers on other nations' warships.

It was known a little earlier that the warship “Hessen”, used to protect merchant ships, shot down two drones for the first time on Tuesday evening, repulsing an attack by Houthi fighters operating from Yemen. According to the X account “Bundeswehr in action” there were two unmanned drones. As a result, there were no injuries or damage to property on board.

According to an industry blog, the drones were shot down by the warship's 76-millimeter on-board gun and RAM (Rolling Airframe Missile System) weapon. This suggests that the drones have already come relatively close to the naval vessel, as these weapons are designed for so-called close range.

Pistorius: It is right to send the battleship “Hessen” in advance

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) explained that the initial deployment had been proved successful by shooting down two enemy drones on Tuesday evening. A first drone was initially spotted and intercepted around 8 p.m. After 15 minutes, a second successful attack “was closing in on the ship,” Pistorius said during a visit to troops in Oberwichtach, Bavaria, on Wednesday. Pursuant to its mission, the vessel was patrolling its assigned region at the relevant time in the Southern Red Sea.

“The minister confirmed that there was another incident the previous evening in which shots were fired, but no one was hurt,” he said. It was a spy drone. “Hessen” contacted all parties in question. “In the end there was no shooting.”

“Hessen” has been involved in an EU operation to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea since Friday. “Hessen” had earlier departed Wilhelmshaven for the area of ​​operations. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the move would contribute to stabilizing the region. This operation is considered to be the most dangerous naval mission in the history of Bundeswehr.

Iran-allied fighters want to use attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea to end an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip in response to a terrorist attack by Islamist Hamas on October 7.

Last week, Houthi fighters said they wanted to expand attacks on merchant ships off the country's coast. The group's leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised address that they were relying on the expansion in response to Israel's expansion into the Gaza Strip. So far 48 ships have been attacked. He also announced the use of underwater weapons.

The sea route through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal is one of the world's most important trade routes. Due to attacks by Iran-armed Houthis, major shipping companies are increasingly avoiding the narrowest sea link between Asia and Europe – with significant implications for the global economy.