Germany's army bans Chinese drones and cars from barracks over spying fears

A ban on Chinese drones

The German Defence Ministry has ordered the Bundeswehr to stop using small Chinese drones in its barracks and on training grounds, Der Spiegel reported on Tuesday, 10 November. The instruction covers drones from manufacturers such as DJI that the army had already bought. According to the ministry, existing systems will be swapped for German or European products, and the order was issued across the entire armed forces in the weeks before the report.

“Chinese models will no longer be used and existing systems will be replaced by national or European products.”

Spiegel reports that local commanders could buy these drones over the past years with little paperwork, and that the systems are now being taken out of service as quickly as possible.

Cars from Chinese brands

Soldiers who own cars from Chinese manufacturers such as BYD, Geely and NIO must now leave them outside the security zones of barracks and walk the rest of the way to their posts, according to Der Spiegel. The magazine says lists of affected models are circulating within the armed forces. Chinese car brands have been barred from entering military sites, and the restriction applies to every installation covered by the security measures.

Why the army acted

The fear is that sensors and cameras in Chinese-made equipment could collect sensitive data and pass it to Chinese intelligence services. For drones, that could mean details of military exercises, images of barracks and training grounds, or information about German weapons systems. Spiegel says it found concrete indications of such transmissions, but the ministry declined to discuss them.

The car restriction follows a September incident during a Norwegian army exercise, in which rented Geely cars were in use. According to Volkskrant, the Norwegians discovered that the cars had recorded data on locations, the movements of soldiers and even access codes through their sensors and cameras.

DJI models are sold in hardware stores and were placed on the ministry's white list of approved drones. Experts objected even then, because the same drones are used by local security services in China. Spiegel attributes the earlier decision to necessity: the army had fallen far behind in drone training and wanted to catch up quickly. Spiegel cites experts who believe the army now holds several thousand such drones, bought by local commanders.

A wider pattern of concern

Earlier, The Telegraph reported on 9 August that Royal Navy K3 Scout reconnaissance drones, fitted with Chinese-made components, had secretly sent information to China. Each drone cost 12 million pounds sterling and was supplied by Kraken Technology Group, whose cameras came from a subcontractor. In late August, Spiegel cited experts warning that connected Chinese electric cars could act as espionage channels through their cameras, microphones and sensors. According to the magazine, German authorities are now analysing such risks.

Open questions

The ministry declined to say how many Chinese drones the army has bought since 2024, citing military security. The scale of the affected fleet therefore remains unconfirmed, and the ministry has not said whether any transmissions were confirmed.