A drone found at a German airport carrying explosives reportedly struck the wing of a Ukrainian cargo plane, which could have caused a massive fire.

According to the German weekly Die Zeit, an analysis of footage captured by cameras at Leipzig/Halle Airport showed that a drone flew directly toward the wing of an Antonov Airlines cargo plane at around 7:30 p.m. on the 4th (local time).

Most aircraft store fuel in their wings.

The drone fell to the ground after colliding with the wing.

The reason why an explosion did not occur has not been determined.

According to German investigative authorities, the drone was loaded with Semtex, a plastic explosive that was used in mid-air terrorist attacks on aircraft such as the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight.

Die Zeit claimed that judging by the flight trajectory and other factors, the drone clearly approached the aircraft with the intent to damage it, adding, "A major catastrophe was avoided much more narrowly than previously known."

The drone is known to have four rotors and be about the size of a microwave oven.

Die Zeit reported that it was not a commercially available model but was custom-made, making it difficult to detect by radar equipment.

Similar to a series of recent drone sightings in Europe since last year, Western nations suspect Russia to be behind this incident as well.

German authorities have assigned the investigation to the Federal Prosecutor's Office, which handles terrorism cases.

Without pointing fingers at any specific culprit, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt mentioned that the possibility of intervention by "external forces" is also under investigation.

In Germany, which has been fully supporting Ukraine for five years, there are growing concerns that airports gathering war supplies could become targets of Russian attacks.

According to Deutsche Flugsicherung (the German air navigation services provider), 166 unauthorized flying objects were reported across 15 international airports in the first half of this year.

Among them, Leipzig/Halle Airport in eastern Germany, which Antonov Airlines has effectively been using as a base since the war, accounted for 18 cases.

Following the appearance of the explosive-laden drone, the German government decided to increase the personnel of the Joint Drone Defense Center (GDAZ), launched in December last year to counter sabotage, from 150 to 300, and expand its operational bases from 4 to 8.

The Russian Embassy in Germany stated regarding the drone incident that it was a "fabricated provocation," adding, "We are concerned about Germany's new anti-Russian hysteria."

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)