The information was disclosed following a statement from the German Ministry of Defense on February 28, confirming “an incident involving a UAV related to an allied nation” that occurred on February 26. However, Berlin did not name the country, according to DW.

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that the Hessen escort vessel was deployed to the Red Sea over the weekend as part of a European Union (EU) mission to protect ships from attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen. According to him, the vessel fired shots accidentally while identifying the UAV. Michael Stempfle, spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense, stated, “The incident was resolved when it turned out not to be an enemy UAV.”
The German Navy’s escort vessel Hessen during deployment to the Red Sea, at Wilhelmshaven (Germany), on February 8, 2024

Fortunately, two missiles fired at the UAV missed the target and fell into the sea due to “technical errors,” Der Spiegel news magazine reported, while affirming that the mentioned aircraft was the US Reaper surveillance UAV.

Without citing sources, Der Spiegel speculated that the UAV may have been present in the area “as part of the US counterterrorism mission” and unrelated to the Red Sea mission.

However, military officials believe that the mistaken shooting indicates a lack of smooth coordination among relevant allies. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper added that “everyone knows that US combat UAVs are used in the region and have nothing to do with activities in the Red Sea.”

The US has not commented on the information.