On the evening of February 26, the crew of the German frigate “Hessen,” operating in the Red Sea as part of the European Union mission, attempted to shoot down an unknown drone after efforts to clarify its nature with U.S. forces were unsuccessful.
Two Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) interceptors were fired at the target, “but that didn’t work,” Stempfle stated. It was subsequently understood that the unknown drone target in question was a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper which did not have the transponder for the friend-foe identification (IFF, Identification Friend-Foe) switched on.
According to reporting by Spiegel, both missiles failed due to technical problems during the friendly-fire incident. The MQ-9, it says, was assigned to a separate counter-terrorism operation.
The crew of the “Hessen” spotted the drone on radar and contacted their American counterparts from the Prosperity Guardian mission, also active in the Red Sea.
However, the Americans were unaware of the drone’s flight, which presumably was associated with another US military mission. Following consultations, the commander of the “Hessen” ordered to open fire on the unidentified drone flying towards the German frigate. However, after the launch of two anti-aircraft missiles, a technical malfunction occurred, causing both missiles to fall into the sea.
The German Ministry of Defence indirectly confirmed the incident on February 28th but did not provide any details.
A spokesperson for the department stated that earlier this week, the “Hessen” had opened fire but did not specify the target or the exact timing. “As it turned out later, it was not an enemy drone,” added the spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defence.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with a serviceman as he stands aboard the frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during his visit of the German Navy during a military manoeuvre in the Baltic Sea near Rostock-Warnemünde, northeastern Germany, on June 5, 2023. Photo: AFP
Military officials, as communicated to Spiegel, consider the incident as evidence of the need to improve coordination between various missions in the Red Sea region. Some believe that shooting down the Reaper drone “would have been a catastrophe.”
Earlier reports indicated that the German Navy frigate “Hessen” repelled the first attack from Yemeni Houthi militants in the Red Sea, shooting down two of their drones.
The vessel, participating in the EU military mission named Aspides, successfully destroyed two enemy aerial targets on Tuesday evening.
Bundeswehr announced on Twitter (X) that these were drones, which the crew successfully shot down. According to the German armed forces, there were no casualties or damages on the frigate.
This marked the first combat engagement of the German Navy within the operation, which began on Friday. It is considered the most dangerous military naval mission in the history of the Bundeswehr.
Earlier, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited the country’s Navy frigate “Hessen” before it set sail to the Red Sea to defend against attacks by Yemeni Houthi militants.
In December, the United States initiated a special military mission in the region involving 10 allies to protect trade vessels.
Top Photo: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz speaks with a serviceman as he stands aboard the frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern during his visit of the German Navy during a military manoeuvre in the Baltic Sea near Rostock-Warnemünde, northeastern Germany, on June 5, 2023 – AFP
Sources: EU Today; The War Zone