New Government Plans

Companies to Be Allowed to Shoot Down Drones Themselves

In the future, operators of critical infrastructure will be allowed to shoot down drones themselves.(Bild: APA/BARBARA GINDL)

The threat posed by drones is growing across Europe. Austria’s security ministries are therefore working on a drone defense strategy. Initial—and in some cases controversial—results are now available.

• In the future, operators of critical infrastructure, such as large energy companies, will also be given the means to independently detect and defend against drones.
• An interministerial drone defense exercise will be conducted later this year.
• A drone situation center is being established within the Ministry of the Interior, from which coordination between the Ministry of the Interior, the Austrian Armed Forces, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and operators of critical infrastructure will take place in the event of an incident.

Leichtfried, Tanner, and Karner present the initial findings.(Bild: CARINA KARLOVITS)

However, drone defense did not just begin now. Austria has implemented numerous operational measures in recent years. Both the Cobra Task Force and the Austrian Armed Forces have developed extensive capabilities for drone defense. Furthermore, last year, the Law on the Resilience of Critical Facilities established legally binding standards for the protection of critical infrastructure.

Drone defense operations are increasing every year
The number of Cobra drone defense deployments clearly illustrates the urgency: While there were 53 requests in 2023, the number rose to 60 in 2024, 70 in 2025, and 80 so far this year.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner, and State Secretary for the Office for the Protection of the Constitution Jörg Leichtfried announced an amendment to the Telecommunications Act for this year, which will give critical infrastructure operators the ability to shoot down drones they detect if they pose a corresponding threat.

“One of the Greatest Threats”
“Drones are among the greatest security threats of our time. They do not need to be armed to pose a significant security risk; they can also be used for espionage, for example. With our development plan, we have therefore made targeted investments in military drone defense. The next step is to further develop risk assessments and specific scenarios and to define the operational procedures,” said Defense Minister Tanner.