Politicians and the army agree: the threat posed by drones is significant. Pictured here is a Swiss Army drone in Elm (May 2026).
Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
The head of the Swiss army has confirmed that drones have been spotted flying in formation over a military base. According to the army, such incidents have been on the rise. Politicians across the political spectrum, from left to right, are concerned and are calling for more drone defence measures.
Unidentified drones have made their presence felt across Europe for months, hovering over airports, nuclear power stations or military bases. Experts suspect Russia is behind many of these incidents and drones are seen as part of hybrid warfare.
So far, there have only been isolated incidents of suspicious drone activity in Switzerland, presumably aimed at spying or causing an alarm or distraction. Last weekend, Benedikt Roos, the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces, briefed the military reserve units present at the Bern barracks on a major incident that had not previously been disclosed. He reported that several unidentified drones had flown over a critical piece of infrastructure.
“The operator tells me there have been drone overflights at their site. And not just one drone, but several drones flying in formation,” said Roos. “This is no longer just a prank. It takes a fair bit of know-how to be able to send formations of drones over critical infrastructure.” The drones would then disappear again, and there was no idea who was behind it, Roos added.
When contacted by Swiss public broadcaster SRF, the army declined to reveal the location of the incident for security reasons.
“The sighting relates to a military installation. We are not disclosing any further details. The army is increasingly detecting drone overflights in the vicinity of troops and military infrastructure.”
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‘Hybrid warfare has been happening for some time’
Security policy makers from various parties are, for once, in agreement. They say the incident is worrying and must have consequences.
“This must be taken very seriously; it was a concerted action, the sort we have already seen in many other countries,” says Andrea Gmür, a Centre Party Senator from the canton of Lucerne. “Hybrid warfare has been happening for some time; apparently, we have not yet realised this here.”
Security policy experts from the Radical Party and Swiss People’s Party have expressed similar views. Franziska Roth, the Social Democrat Senator from Solothurn, is also concerned. She says the army urgently needs to upgrade its drone defence capabilities.
“I firmly believe that funds must be channelled to where the threat is greatest, and it has been proven that this is precisely the case with drones.”
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‘A few sentries are no longer enough’
The army has not disclosed whether the drone pilots could be identified. Speaking at the Bern barracks at the weekend, the Chief of the Armed Forces said that the protection of critical infrastructure must be improved.
“We now need to revise this entire catalogue of critical infrastructure. Because the whole issue of drones wasn’t included in it until now. We used to think that if we had a few sentries, nobody could get in. But today, the situation is completely different.”
According to the army, drone sightings are now being systematically recorded. Consideration is also being given to establishing a no-fly zone over the affected facility, where several drones were sighted.
Translated from German, sub-edited by Anand Chandrasekhar
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