BERLIN, August 25. /TASS/. German authorities discovered a third unmanned aerial vehicle near Leipzig/Halle Airport following a drone attack, Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported jointly with broadcasters NDR and WDR.
According to SZ, investigators believe several drones were used in the attack. The first was found at the airport, while the second apparently struck a DHL aircraft. The third was discovered several days later, on the evening of August 14, in a field in Kabelsketal, Saxony-Anhalt, directly adjacent to the airport’s western side.
Forensic investigators from Germany’s Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) found traces of a powerful explosive at the site, reportedly about 50 grams of RDX, a highly explosive compound, the newspaper said. The substance apparently failed to detonate. Experts are currently trying to determine why.
The discovery of the first two drones dates back to August 4. Investigators found the first at 11:42 p.m. at Leipzig/Halle Airport near a Ukrainian An cargo plane. The second apparently collided with a DHL freighter 20 minutes later. The airport’s closure forced the freighter to abort its approach and go around, when it apparently hit the drone at an altitude of 300 to 400 meters. The pilots told investigators they saw an object about 30 centimeters in size seconds before the collision. Radar data later confirmed a small flying object.
