Germany’s armed forces procurement office has signed a contract for drones that catch intruding drones in nets, to protect military sites in Germany and abroad. The first systems are due in 2027. The office did not name the supplier or give a value. German defence outlet hartpunkt reports that the contractor is ARGUS Interception and that the framework deal is worth more than €1.1 billion.
What the Bundeswehr confirmed
The Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) said in a press notice issued in Koblenz that it signed a contract on 15 October 2026 to procure “Netzwerferdrohnensysteme” (net-launcher drone systems). It said the systems are meant to intercept drones entering without authorisation and improve the protection of Bundeswehr sites at home and abroad. The Bundestag’s budget committee approved the purchase on 14 October, and the office says the first systems should be delivered in 2027.
BAAINBw links the purchase to the growing threat from small and very small drones, which can be used to spy on military facilities or attempt sabotage. It says the systems are intended in particular for Bundeswehr sites, allied forces’ bases in Germany and Bundeswehr deployments abroad, and that they are also suitable for protecting sensitive events and critical infrastructure.
How the net drones work
According to BAAINBw, the main advantage is safety for bystanders. Shooting down a drone over a built-up area can send debris falling onto people. These systems instead fire a net to capture the intruder, then set it down at a predetermined point, which also lets investigators examine it afterwards.
The office says the systems use ground-based reconnaissance and on-board sensors to detect and track drones. The interception itself takes place only after an operator releases it. Depending on the situation, a net drone can chase a single target or guard a set defensive line against fast-approaching drones. The systems are meant to work alongside existing defences such as detection radars and jammers.
Hartpunkt reported that the core of the system is ARGUS Interception’s “A1-Falke” catcher drone. It said the interception runs fully automatically, but a human operator decides whether it goes ahead and can abort it. According to hartpunkt, the Bundeswehr, Germany’s federal police and some state police forces have already bought systems of this type, and the Bundeswehr has some in an older configuration.
The numbers, according to hartpunkt
The BAAINBw notice gives no contractor, value or quantities, as Sicherheit & Verteidigung also noted. The figures below come from hartpunkt, “nach Informationen von hartpunkt” (“according to hartpunkt’s information”):
- The contractor is ARGUS Interception GmbH, an interceptor-drone maker based in Rotenburg an der Wümme, Lower Saxony.
- It is a seven-year framework contract worth “über 1,1 Milliarden Euro” (more than €1.1 billion).
- Around 450 complete systems could be bought under the framework.
- A mid two-digit number of systems, worth about €165 million, is to be called off directly and delivered to the troops in 2027.
Hartpunkt says the exact sensor fit and the number of interceptors per system are not public.
Why it matters
Germany is joining other countries in buying drones to counter drones, rather than relying only on jamming or shooting them down. A framework contract sets a ceiling, not a guaranteed order: beyond the first call-off, the number of systems bought will depend on later orders.
What this means
- The signing, the 2027 first deliveries and the operator-release requirement come from the Bundeswehr itself.
- The supplier, the value above €1.1 billion, the roughly 450 systems and the €165 million first call-off are hartpunkt’s reporting. The Bundeswehr has not published them.
- The system is designed to capture drones intact, which reduces the risk from falling debris in built-up areas and preserves evidence.
Sources
- BAAINBw press notice via ots (Kurier Verlag): BAAINBw beauftragt Netzwerferdrohnen zum Schutz von Bundeswehrliegenschaften
- hartpunkt: Drohnenabwehr: BAAINBw schließt Milliardenvertrag mit ARGUS Interception
- Sicherheit & Verteidigung: Drohnenabwehr: BAAINBw unterzeichnet Vertrag über Netzwerferdrohnensysteme
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- Raytheon Wins $729 Million to Supply Its LIDS Counter-Drone System to the US Army, Qatar and Jordan
- Israel Aerospace Industries Unveils HawkGuard, Which Uses Drones to Hit Hostile Drones
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