Danish military attempted to down drones in 2023 incident

Newly released documents obtained by Danish broadcaster DR reveal that Denmark’s armed forces deployed warships, fighter jets, and infantry units—and attempted to shoot down drones—during a series of reported drone sightings over military installations in late September 2023.

While most of the Defence Ministry’s correspondence on the incident remains classified, the disclosed material confirms that the military mobilised frigates from the navy, armoured vehicles from the army, fighter aircraft, and additional personnel to assist police and secure military sites. The measures followed multiple reports of drones flying over restricted areas in the final week of September.

“The deployed capabilities were primarily used for observation and reporting air sightings. In some cases, attempts were made to down drones,” the documents state. Defence Chief Michael Hyldgaard had previously acknowledged that no drones were successfully intercepted, but this marks the first written confirmation that such attempts occurred.

The records also show that many initial reports of “drone incidents” were later reclassified. After realising that observations varied in reliability—including cases where no drone was confirmed—the military shifted terminology from “drone events” to “air sightings” on 30 September. A new reporting system was introduced to distinguish between technically verified observations and unaided visual reports, aiming to “improve observation quality.”

Following the incident, the Defence Ministry developed training materials to strengthen soldiers’ ability to identify and report potential drone activity. The documents do not specify how many sightings were ultimately confirmed as drones.