The German defence ministry confirmed a drone incident involving an allied nation occurred on Monday, without naming the country.
The "Hesse" frigate opened fire after efforts to identify an unknown drone "were unsuccessful", Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said during a visit to the German town of Oberviechtach, adding however that the target was "not hit".
The drone later turned out to be a "reconnaissance drone", he said.
According to Der Spiegel weekly, the frigate fired two missiles at the drone but both crashed into the sea because of "a technical defect".
Spiegel, without citing its sources, said the drone that was nearly downed was a US Reaper.
It might have been operating in the region "as part of an American anti-terror mission" unrelated to the Red Sea mission, Spiegel added.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper said it was "common knowledge that American combat drones are used in the region that have nothing to do with the operation in the Red Sea".
The German defence ministry said the frigate only launched an attack after none of its allies reported a drone in the area.
Spiegel said military officials believed the friendly fire incident showed that coordination between allies involved in various missions in the region around Yemen "needs to be improved".
The "Hesse" arrived in the region at the weekend as part of an EU mission to help secure international shipping in the Red Sea from attacks by Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis.
The German army earlier on Wednesday said the frigate had successfully thwarted an attack on Tuesday evening by shooting down two drones launched by the rebels.
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 Red Sea and has conducted strikes on the Huthis in Yemen along with Britain.
German navy repels Huthi drone attack in Red Sea
Berlin (AFP) Feb 28, 2024 -
A German frigate sent to help secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea has successfully repelled an attack by Huthi rebels, the army said overnight to Wednesday.
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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