Counter-UAS via the mobile network: Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom develop a joint protective shield

Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom are jointly building a protective shield against drones and cyber attacks. This counter-UAS development focuses on protecting critical infrastructure, civilian sites and major events.

The repeated incidents at Munich Airport and other European airports show how much damage a single drone can cause: operations come to a complete standstill, passengers are stranded and economic losses mount. What used to be isolated cases has become an everyday occurrence.

Network operator meets defence group

This is where the cooperation between the two groups comes in. Düsseldorf-based Rheinmetall is a defence company that can draw on years of experience in drone defence. The Bonn-based telecommunications provider contributes its nationwide mobile network, together with extensive know-how in securing major events.

The two DAX companies intend to create a modular protection system that can be flexibly adapted to different threat situations. The underlying concept is called multi-threat protection: in phase one, drone defence is the focus; later, the solution is also to cover threats on land, on water and in cyberspace.

Building blocks according to the threat level

Depending on the scenario and the threat, the partners combine different technologies – from detection and identification through to defeat. Both companies have expertise in sensors; Rheinmetall is responsible for the effectors. Deutsche Telekom provides secure communication networks and 5G campus networks, cloud technology and data analytics.

The individual capability modules give rise to tailor-made solutions that can be flexibly combined. The reason: an airport or an emergency services organisation needs different protection mechanisms from a power plant operator or an industrial company.

However different the requirements may be, the goal always remains the same: to detect drones early and to counter the threat with jamming signals, interceptor drones or – depending on the environment and legal admissibility – laser-based defence systems.

When the network itself raises the alarm

Most of the drones currently available on the market are still controlled by a pilot within visual range, using a remote control over a radio frequency. For detection, Telekom combines video, audio, radio-frequency and Remote ID sensors with radar.

Passive radio-frequency sensors have proved particularly effective in densely built-up urban areas. Because they do not emit an active search signal of their own, they can easily be mounted on radio masts. In the so-called lower airspace, they currently detect more than 90 per cent of all drones.

Increasingly, however, both commercially available and home-built drones are controlled via the internet using a smartphone. This is made possible by the nationwide roll-out of high-performance mobile networks – over long distances and from practically anywhere.

Telekom is therefore investigating how such mobile-network-controlled drones can be identified, together with the Helmut Schmidt University of the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces) and in the “Sensation” project of the Federal Ministry of Research. What is new: the mobile network itself becomes an active part of the defence.

The network recognises suspicious communication patterns and reports potential threats in real time. The approach thus goes far beyond conventional radar or camera systems and opens up a new dimension in early detection. Even actively blocking such control data streams is technically possible; the legal framework for this is still being clarified.

One situation centre for all of Germany

This new form of drone detection is also to be incorporated into the joint Rheinmetall and Telekom project. In the long term, the partners have a Germany-wide drone situation centre in mind.

Unlike military air pictures, this platform will not be classified and will be open to all customers. Companies and infrastructure operators will thus not only use what their own systems detect, but also receive information on detections by other users and from publicly available sources.

Data fusion with AI-supported forecasts assesses current threats and also allows follow-up analyses. Supported by Telekom’s high-performance mobile network and a corresponding terrestrial network, the result is a protective shield with both regional and supra-regional effect.

Experience from real operations

Telekom has been testing what drone detection can achieve since 2016. Its customers include various public authorities as well as the Bundeswehr, airports and companies. The group has already protected critical infrastructure, properties and major events against drones in Germany and abroad.

During the 2024 European Football Championship, the telecommunications company reliably tracked down illegal drone flights on behalf of the police. Because the localisation was pinpoint-accurate, officers quickly found the pilots.

Rheinmetall, for its part, is one of the leading system houses for short-range and very short-range air defence. Effectors from the Düsseldorf technology group are currently in use in Ukraine and in the Middle East.

In December 2025, Rheinmetall entered into a strategic partnership with the Hamburg Police and the Hamburg Port Authority. The aim is to develop drone detection and defence concepts for one of the most demanding locations in Europe: owing to its dense infrastructure, maritime conditions and numerous radio sources, the Port of Hamburg is considered a particularly difficult environment for detection systems.

Counter-UAS soon commercially available

The timelines are ambitious. Individual solutions are already in productive operation at various customers. The phase one components for detecting, identifying and defeating drones are ready; they will be commercially available within a few months – also as a combination of the capabilities of both groups.

In phase two and the subsequent expansion stages, additional protective functions against attacks from cyberspace will be added, which will be of particular interest to small and medium-sized companies.

Security only works when networked

The two DAX companies share the conviction that security today can only be conceived in networked terms.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, summed up the strategic dimension of the project as follows: “The threat posed by drones is highly digital. That is why defending against them requires the combination of sensors, effectors and secure communication networks. Rheinmetall and Deutsche Telekom are pooling precisely these capabilities.”

On behalf of Deutsche Telekom, CEO Tim Höttges stressed: “Sovereignty is not created through discussions alone, but through action. With its expertise in connectivity, cloud and data analytics, Telekom is taking drone defence to a new level.”

Together with Rheinmetall, he said, this would strengthen sovereignty and help to reduce concerns among the population.