Germany is to acquire armed drones

The German government is preparing to build his army of armed drones for use in conflicts abroad, according to a document obtained by Spiegel Online. In the text, which is a response to a question from the official left-wing party Die Linke, it is stated that these devices can attack targets in a way "fast, accurate and scalable" , and enhancing security through a "credible deterrence" drones like the "Predator" American.

Unlike the United States, Germany uses only UAV reconnaissance and surveillance, for example in Afghanistan. The new risk revive the heated debate about the drones attack the German government, reports Spiegel Online. The Defence Minister Thomas de Maizière, a member of the conservative party CDU Angela Merkel, has always been in favor of this solution. "Aircraft have the right to have guns, why unmanned aircraft would not they that right? " he asked in an interview with Die Welt.


But the issue is sensitive in Germany. Even surveillance drones currently in operation have many critics in Germany, where part of the population fears that they are used to spy on the Germans themselves. Some experts also believe that the intensive use of drone attacks, as do the United States, is not consistent with international law.

Political side, the CDU and the SPD (Socialists) are drones as a necessary evil to safety, while Die Linke, the Greens and many members of the Liberal Democratic Party FDP, the CDU partner, are opposed.

The site of Deutsche Welle said that no final decision has yet been taken , but it should intervene in the first half of 2013 according to the Ministry of Defence. Angela Merkel said about it that it is "important that the Bundeswehr receive the equipment it needs to accomplish its mission," according to one of its spokesmen.