German military bans commercially available Chinese drones, Spiegel reports

Germany's military has ​banned commercially available Chinese-made drones ​from its barracks ‌and training grounds, ​effective immediately, due to security concerns, Der Spiegel news outlet reported on ‌Tuesday. The Defence Ministry was not immediately available for comment outside regular business hours.

Western military forces have grown increasingly concerned that Chinese-made technology ‌could pose a security risk and may be used ‌to transmit sensitive security information to Beijing. Der Spiegel reported that the drones, acquired by military units in recent years with limited bureaucratic oversight, ⁠are being ​withdrawn from ⁠service as quickly as possible.

Local commanders had been allowed to purchase ⁠them under a 2024 strategy that included a "white list" of approved ​systems, including several made by China-based DJI, the world's largest drone ⁠maker, it reported. As there is no central record of purchases by ⁠individual units, ​the military has to impose a blanket ban, Der Spiegel added.

The US last month prohibited vehicles made ⁠by China's BYD on its air base on Japan's Okinawa island, ⁠and Poland ⁠in February banned Chinese-made vehicles from military facilities over concerns their sensors could be used to ‌collect sensitive ‌data. (Writing by Miranda Murray Editing ​by Gareth Jones)