German investigators found a suspicious substance that may be explosive a few metres from where parts of a drone were discovered near the Wunstorf military airfield in Lower Saxony, according to reporting by NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung published by tagesschau on Tuesday, September 22, 2026.

The drone, broken into several pieces, was found by a farmer about a week earlier roughly a kilometre from the base where Germany’s fleet of A400M transport aircraft is stationed, and at least one component was 3D-printed. Investigators are working on the assumption that the drone also carried explosives, but forensic analysis of the substance is not complete. The federal prosecutor’s office (Generalbundesanwalt) and the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) are examining whether there is a link to the foiled attack with explosive-laden drones at Leipzig/Halle airport in early August 2026, which the German government blames on Russia and Moscow denies. Investigators believe the drone may have been at the site for up to two years, and the case was discussed at the weekly intelligence meeting at the federal chancellery.