The Belgian military has been ordered to shoot down any unidentified drones flying over its military bases after three consecutive nights of airspace violations, Chief of Defense Frederik Vansina said Monday, according to the Belga News Agency.
The drones, described as “larger-type” aircraft flying at high altitudes, repeatedly breached restricted airspace over the Kleine-Brogel air base – one of Europe’s most sensitive military sites that hosts US-made nuclear-capable F-16s and is set to receive F-35s from 2027.
The incidents have added pressure on Belgium’s fragile five-party coalition government, which is already locked in tense budget talks, including over defense spending.
Defense Minister Theo Francken earlier called the repeated flights “a clear mission targeting Kleine-Brogel,” suggesting the drones were used for espionage rather than accidental overflights.
“They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the ammunition is, and other highly strategic information,” he told local media.
The most serious incident unfolded Saturday evening and continued into Sunday. Francken confirmed in a social media post that three separate reports were received overnight.
The presence of the suspected drones – which forced the suspension of flights for a critical 20-minute period – triggered an immediate but unsuccessful response.
A drone jammer and police pursuit failed to intercept the aircraft, which reportedly flew north toward the Dutch border.
Vansina said Belgium’s anti-drone defenses – including detection systems, jammers and drone guns – remain limited, but a new plan to strengthen them will soon be presented to the Council of Ministers.
“The order has been given to shoot them down,” Vansina said on Monday, noting that any response must be carried out safely “without causing collateral damage.”
The Kleine-Brogel airbase has since issued public guidance urging residents of Peer and nearby areas to report suspicious drones immediately and avoid spreading false reports online.
While Francken stopped short of directly blaming Moscow, he linked the incursions to similar drone activity across Europe, including in Poland, Romania and Germany, saying such incidents highlight the need for stronger collective defenses – part of a growing EU debate over building a continental “drone wall” along NATO’s eastern flank.