Photo Gallery Germany Discovers Drones
Germany already uses unmanned drones in conflict, like this one being maintained by a German army technician in Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan. This particular model is built by Germany's Rehinmetall Defense.
The US has long been using armed drones in combat, such as this MQ-4 Predator, which is photographed on the tarmac of the Balad Air Base, near Baghdad, Iraq.
So far, Germany has only used drones like this "Heron 1" for reconnaissance missions.
Germany leases the Heron, which it uses for reconnaissance, from an Israeli consortium, but the contract is due to expire at the end of 2014. Berlin is currently exploring alternatives.
Germany also plans to step up its purchases of unarmed drones. It plans to buy five Euro Hawk machines, pictured here, for reconnaissance.
Smaller drones like this one are used to accompany convoys in foreign combat.
These smaller drones can only be used for specific missions to prevent their widespread use.
Pictured here is the Aladin model, which is a bit heavier and used for reconnaissance in Afghanistan.
Luna is another of the German army's drones.
Luna is also used in Afghanistan, where it can fly up to four hours at a time.
