Denmark says new drone sightings overnight at military installations

COPENHAGEN (Reuters): Unidentified drones were observed near military installations in Denmark overnight, the Armed Forces said on Saturday, following several drone incursions near airports and critical infrastructure this week.

“The Danish Defence can confirm that drones were observed at several of the Danish Defence’s locations last night. Several capabilities were deployed,” a spokesperson said in an email to Reuters.

The Armed Forces did not specify where the drones were observed. Police said they had observed drones near the Karup air base in western Denmark, Ritzau News agency reported.Norwegian police said on Saturday they were investigating possible drone sightings near the country’s Oerland air force base in central Norway, the main base for Norway’s F-35s jet fighters.

“The guards at the base made several observations outside the base’s perimeter early on Saturday,” a spokesperson at the Norwegian Armed Forces’ joint headquarters told Reuters.

Copenhagen Airport, the Nordic region’s busiest, closed for several hours late on Monday as several large drones were seen in its airspace. Five smaller airports, both civilian and military, were also shut temporarily in the following days.

Danish authorities have called the incursions hybrid attacks, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said earlier this week it was “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”