The EKO Cobra (Einsatzkommando Cobra) is the special operations unit of the Austrian Ministry of the Interior. Founded in 1978 after the Munich Olympic Games attack and the decade’s wave of aircraft hijackings, its main mission is counterterrorism, hostage rescue, and VIP protection. 
Although born in Vienna, EKO Cobra has bases across the country and a rapid-deployment model. It is composed of about 450 operators, divided into teams capable of intervening within minutes anywhere in Austria.

Real curiosities

1) A historic mid-flight intervention (1996)
EKO Cobra is the only unit in the world to have successfully resolved an air hijacking while inside the plane mid-flight. In 1996, four agents traveling as passengers on a Vienna–Lagos flight neutralized a hijacker who tried to take control—without firing a single shot.

2) Comprehensive training and technical selection
The entry course combines precision shooting, CQB, parachuting, diving, and high-altitude rescue. It also includes negotiation and crisis management phases, making them versatile operators. The standard is so high that only a few manage to complete it.

3) Beyond counterterrorism
In addition to high-risk operations, EKO Cobra participates in international missions under the EU and the UN, and regularly collaborates with Germany’s GSG 9 and France’s RAID. Their presence guarantees precision and discipline in pure Central European style

They make no noise, seek no headlines: they enter, act, and disappear. 
In Austria, the Cobra is not a symbol — it’s a warning.