Germany's Drone Fiasco

The Drone That Took Down A Government -- War Is Boring

Peter Dörrie on Germany’s disastrous Euro Hawk.

Drones usually hunt the enemies of the state. A growing roster of countries use unmanned and — to one degree or another — autonomous aerial vehicles to track down and kill terrorists and spy on trafficking operations around the world.

In Germany, though, the latest drone victim is the government itself, represented by Defense Minister Thomas de Maizière. The minister is embroiled in a widening scandal tied to a botched drone procurement — one that is quite characteristic of Germans’ relationship with their armed forces.

The scandal has roots stretching back 13 years through three former administrations. Under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, a Social Democrat governing in a coalition with the Green Party, the German government decided to start the procurement process for the Euro Hawk, a variant of the U.S.-developed Global Hawk spy drone built by Northrop Grumman. The unarmed Global Hawk is the world’s largest operational Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, with a wingspan rivaling that of a Boeing 737.

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My Comment: Even the Germans can screw up on military proccurement.