Explosive‑rigged drone found beside Antonov loaded with ammunition at Leipzig/Halle Airport
Officials say an Antonov freighter parked near the device had been carrying ammunition flown from France; explosive experts believe the charge was likely Semtex.
German authorities say a drone rigged with explosives was discovered next to parked Ukrainian Antonov cargo aircraft at Leipzig/Halle Airport on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, August 5–6, 2026. Investigators report the plane beside which the device was found had been loaded with military ammunition that had been flown into Leipzig from France and was awaiting onward transport.
Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt warned of what he described as "a new quality of threat" and called the episode "a scenario of a hybrid attack." According to official reports, airport staff noticed the small aircraft hovering among two Antonov freighters at about 23:42 on Tuesday, and the machine later came into "contact between the drone and an employee" before ending up on the ground.
Forensics and explosive‑ordnance teams at work
Specialist explosive‑ordnance teams from the Saxony criminal police rendered the device safe during an operation that lasted several hours. Experts removed the detonator to permit further laboratory analysis; the package attached to the drone was described as roughly the size of a human fist and, on multiple tests, most likely Semtex — an explosive used in both military and industrial applications.
Video footage reviewed by investigators showed the drone first entering the airport from the south at 19:28, landing on the apron and later hovering at low altitude between the parked Ukrainian aircraft. Airport drone‑detection systems reportedly did not register the craft; Minister Dobrindt said offenders had probably modified the drone to deliberately evade security systems.
After the suspicious drone was discovered, air traffic at Leipzig/Halle was temporarily halted. An inbound DHL freighter from Marseille that had been due to land climbed again and, at roughly the height of the airport fence and a speed of about 500 km/h, struck an unidentified object. Authorities say the aircraft continued to fly and was diverted to Hannover‑Langenhagen; forensic checks found damage to the forward part of the fuselage and later reported damage to the rear as well. A biological swab taken from the damaged area tested negative.
Members of the crew have been interviewed by the Saxony State Criminal Police and the aircraft will undergo further forensic inspection, including analysis of the flight recorder. Meanwhile the main focus of the investigation remains the improvised explosive device attached to the drone and who was behind the apparent attack; at this stage no perpetrator has been publicly identified. Leipzig/Halle remains an important logistics hub for military transport, and the airport has been used by Ukraine for shipments of military equipment since February 2022.
Photo: press material from the event
