Drone over TKMS / Howaldtswerke shipyard (Kiel)

On the night of 25-26 September 2025 (Thursday into Friday), multiple unidentified drones were observed over critical infrastructure in and around Kiel, in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Among the overflown sites was the thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) shipyard, the former Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) yard, where Germany builds submarines, alongside the city's waterfront, bay and harbour facilities. Other reported targets that night included a Kiel power plant, the university hospital, the state parliament building (Landeshaus) and, further inland, the Heide oil refinery and parts of the Kiel Canal.

According to security sources cited in German reporting, the drones flew in parallel, coordinated patterns, apparently to systematically survey the facilities below; some accounts described a larger "mother drone" accompanied by smaller craft. The drones were of various types and sizes, regional Interior Minister Sabine Sütterlin-Waack told the state parliament. State security investigators and the public prosecutor's office, led by Chief Public Prosecutor Stephanie Gropp, opened an investigation into possible espionage and sabotage. Federal Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt cautioned against assuming every drone overflight constitutes an automatic threat. TKMS confirmed an overflight of its shipyard and said it was in close contact with the authorities. The operators and their origin remained unidentified.

The simultaneous, patterned overflight of a submarine shipyard and other critical sites points to deliberate reconnaissance rather than hobbyist activity, though no operator has been identified and attribution remains open. The episode fits a broader 2025 pattern of drone incursions over Baltic and northern European infrastructure, including near-contemporaneous incidents in Denmark, that several officials have characterised as efforts to probe defences and create uncertainty. Some commentary has speculated about Russian involvement or sea-based launch platforms, but this is unconfirmed and should be treated cautiously pending the ongoing investigation.