The "Hesse" navy frigate intercepted a drone on Tuesday evening, the army said on X, formerly Twitter.

"A short time later, a second drone approached (the ship). The crew again initiated defence measures and also successfully engaged the target," the army said.

"There was no personal injury or damage to property on the frigate," it added.

Speaking on a visit to troops in the German town of Oberviechtach, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the "successful shooting down of two enemy drones" by the ship.

The first was detected at around 8:00 pm (1900 GMT) and the second 15 minutes later, Pistorius said.

The "Hesse" was sent to the region as part of an EU mission launched on February 19 to help protect international shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen's Iranian-backed Huthis.

The Huthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen, have been attacking the vital shipping lane since November in a campaign they say is in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war.

The United States is spearheading its own naval coalition in the area and has conducted strikes on the Huthis in Yemen along with Britain.

The EU's 27 countries managed to agree the Red Sea mission in a matter of weeks as concerns mount that the Huthi attacks could damage their economies and push up inflation.

The Hesse arrived in the region at the weekend after the German parliament approved its participation in the mission on Friday, according to the army.

Pistorius on Wednesday said it had "turned out to be correct to send the frigate at the beginning of February so that it could begin its operations... immediately after the mandate was decided".

France, Italy and Belgium have also said they plan to contribute ships to the mission.

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