Did a Danish soldier attempt to shoot down an airliner? – sUAS Information

The interval of intense, unexplained unmanned aerial automobile (UAV) exercise over Danish and Norwegian installations (22 to twenty-eight September 2025) was instantly categorised by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen because the “most severe assault on Danish essential infrastructure to this point”. These incursions—which pressured the non permanent closure of Copenhagen Airport (CPH) and had been famous repeatedly close to key army websites—had been attributed to a “succesful actor” conducting a probable hybrid operation.

The pressing response to this perceived risk, nevertheless, seems to have culminated in a profoundly harmful safety failure on 28 September 2025 when Danish army personnel might have mistakenly focused a civilian plane.

The alleged capturing happened at Borris camp, also called Borrislejren or Borris Skydeterræn. Positioned roughly 12 km east of Skjern in Vestjylland, that is the most important heath in Denmark, protecting 4,743 hectares (47 km²). Established between 1902 and 1903, the vary is a standard coaching space for your entire Danish Armed Forces.

The vary is designed uniquely in order that capturing is carried out in the direction of the centre of the realm. Drone flying is just not permitted over the realm until particularly authorised by the Armed Forces..

On the night of 28 September, it’s alleged {that a} soldier from the Danish Defence Forces fired a number of volleys of gunfire at a big, unknown drone over the Borris camp. 

This tried kinetic motion occurred when the article seemingly entered a closed army space. 

The Defence Command refused to touch upon the particular incident, stating solely that the choice to interact a goal is predicated on a selected operational evaluation. 

Nonetheless, the report of pictures being fired was disclosed to journalists by “a number of impartial sources inside the Danish army”. Eyewitnesses close to the army camp confirmed they noticed the drone and heard gunshots, with one resident, Michael Knuhtsen, stating the article got here flying from the north, over town, in the direction of Borris camp earlier than he heard the pictures. The drone was reportedly not neutralized and subsequently continued flying.

Whereas the army remained formally silent, the true nature of the article fired upon was rapidly introduced into query by impartial aviation consultants. ThomasH, a Member on the discussion board Metabunk and a YouTuber, posted his evaluation, stating unequivocally:

 “It seems the army tried to shoot down a ‘drone’ on September 28 – I discovered it was a airplane heading for Billund Airport, 9000 ft up !!”.

Thomas utilized flight radar knowledge to substantiate that the article an eyewitness noticed flying from the north over the capturing space simply after 8:00 p.m. native time was a airplane. This plane was travelling at 9,000 ft on its technique to Billund Airport.

Thomas reasoned: “The capturing itself nonetheless hasn’t been formally confirmed, for the reason that army gained’t remark—however there’s little doubt in my thoughts that the ‘drone’ the pointing-guy noticed was that airplane”. He concluded that if a civilian eyewitness mistook the airplane for a drone, it’s completely believable {that a} soldier seconds later, when it flew over their space, made the identical mistake.

This means that the incident might have been the “first mistaken kinetic firing within the EU”, highlighting how the continual stream of drone sightings—or ‘drone paranoia’—can lead floor personnel to misidentify routine air visitors.

The deployment of stay ammunition on this context carries unacceptable dangers, no matter whether or not the goal is hit. This extreme hazard was highlighted by Gareth Corfield, Transport Correspondent for The Telegraph newspaper, who issued a stark warning concerning uncontrolled firing:

“A bullet fired upwards at 30-45 levels travels as much as 5 miles. When it comes all the way down to earth once more, it may nonetheless kill. In the event you shoot at and miss a small shifting goal like a drone, individuals nowhere close to the suspected incursion may very well be critically injured or worse.”.

This danger of misidentification resulting in potential tragedy echoes the particular warnings issued by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) towards using kinetic weapons throughout the Gatwick incidents in 2018.

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