German army to launch new regiment dedicated to drone and electronic warfare

A Bundeswehr soldier operates a small unmanned aerial system during training at Bergen. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced plans to establish the Bundeswehr's first dedicated drone regiment in 2027, following lessons drawn from the war in Ukraine. (Carl Schulze/Bundeswehr)

GRAFENWOEHR, Germany — Bavaria will host a new drone and electronic warfare unit beginning year as the German army looks to draw on lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war to prepare for modern combat.

The regiment will be part of the 10th Armored Division, which is based in Veitshöchheim, approximately 100 miles west of the Grafenwoehr Training Area, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said in a statement Friday.

The unit will be tasked with operating impact and aerial reconnaissance drones, unmanned land systems, and intercepting enemy drones, Pistorius said the day before as he toured the Bergen military training area in the state of Lower Saxony.

“The drone regiment will complement our innovation ecosystem,” Pistorius said.

German and American forces have been training Ukrainian troops in Germany since the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. The NATO allies often participate in exchanges where Ukrainian drone experts assess their platforms and tactics.

Germany is expanding the use of unmanned systems in its infantry, reconnaissance troop and tank force later this year, army chief Lt. Gen. Christian Freuding said. The creation of the new unit marks a giant step toward war readiness, he added.

“I believe this will enable us to gain significant speed in unmanned combat,” Freuding said.

Systems are currently being tested in battlefield conditions at Bergen, according to the statement.

The new drone regiment will operate from short to long range, and it will also have its own dedicated electronic warfare company, Pistorius said.

The announcement comes after the Pentagon decided to phase out its own experimental drone battalion in the 173rd Airborne Brigade last month. The unit was tasked with developing new drone warfare concepts.

Even so, the use of drones remains a core focus of Army tactics and doctrine. The recent Saber Junction exercise in Hohenfels featured 1,900 autonomous systems.

The 7th Army Training Command, which oversees the largest Army training area in Europe, updates its training doctrine for drones every 60 days, unit commander Brig. Gen. Terry Tillis told reporters during a media roundtable on Sept. 17.

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