Investigators near Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany found a third drone and about 50 grams of the military explosive RDX. The discovery was made ten days after another drone carrying explosives was found near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft on August 4, with its detonator having failed to go off.
This was reported by Bild.
The third drone was discovered on August 14 in a field in Kabelsketal, Saxony-Anhalt, immediately adjacent to the western part of Leipzig/Halle Airport.
Investigators also seized about 50 grams of RDX, a military explosive. According to NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, this may indicate that the perpetrators could have been planning a significantly larger attack than previously thought. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor’s Office has not officially confirmed this information.
The first drone carrying explosives was found on August 4 near a Ukrainian An-124 cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport. According to BILD, the drone was likely intended to hit the Ukrainian military transport aircraft, but the detonator failed to go off.
That same night, a second drone is believed to have collided with a DHL cargo aircraft. After the incident, investigators found damage to the aircraft’s tail section.
After the first drone was discovered, operations at the airport were temporarily suspended. One cargo aircraft was forced to abort its planned landing and go around before being diverted to Hanover.
According to BILD, investigators had suspected from an early stage that three drones were involved. As part of the investigation, law enforcement officers searched the abandoned village of Kursdorf in Saxony near the airport. According to media reports, they seized a “technical construction” that may have been used to control the drone. An antenna and other electronics had reportedly been attached to a tree with adhesive tape. Investigators also found traces of scorched earth and metal fragments that may have been the result of an explosion.
RDX, also known as hexogen, is a powerful military explosive used in ammunition, explosive charges and military detonation systems.
Investigators suspect that the incident involving the professional-grade drone in Leipzig may have been part of a hybrid attack by a foreign state. The first drone was also equipped with military explosives but did not explode. According to one investigator, the failure to detonate may have been caused by a technical or human error.
