German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen has decided to equip the German military with armed drones, a media report said Wednesday.
With approval from the parliament, the German army will be able to use combat drones under certain conditions in the future, Xinhua quoted von der Leyen as saying.
This is the first time that von der Leyen has taken a stand publicly for the introduction of armed drones amid an ongoing debate in Germany over the controversial weapon systems.
Armed drones are a highly controversial issue in Germany due to concerns over killings in US drone attacks.
The German military does not have its own combat drones yet.