'The threat is there': Germany to pair P-8s with MQ-9 drones to keep an eye on Russian subs - Breaking Defense

The German Navy is set to receive first deliveries of new MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones in 2028 (German Armed Forces)

BERLIN — Germany plans to make a foray into manned-unmanned teaming, using P-8A sub-hunters with MQ-9B drones, to keep an eye on Russian submarines in northern European waters, a senior military official said.

“The threat is there,” Capt. Broder Nielsen, head of the German Naval Aviation Command, told reporters at the Berlin Airshow on Thursday. “Nobody wants an unknown submarine lying at their door. … You better have a clue where Russian submarines are.”

Nielsen added that he expects the Russian underwater menace to rise, a trend European countries are closely monitoring. In April, Germany deployed for the first time a Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft to Scotland to conduct joint patrols in the North Atlantic along with the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) to track Moscow’s submarine activity.

Nielsen said the deployment was carried out under the Trinity House Agreement, signed in 2024, to enable episodic German P-8A dispatches to RAF Lossiemouth, where it can operate jointly with the British Poseidon fleet. Germany has ordered eight P-8As and received its first one last year.