Over the weekend, unidentified drones were detected hovering above Belgium’s Kleine Brogel air base, which his the location of a U.S. nuclear weapons storage facility, prompting investigations into a possible espionage operation.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said Sunday that a jammer was unsuccessfully used during the overnight drone sightings over Belgium’s Kleine Brogel airbase, which is used by NATO forces.”Last night, we received 3 reports of drones above Kleine Brogel, of a larger type and flying at higher altitude,” Francken wrote on X. “It was not a simple overflight, but a clear command targeting Kleine Brogel. A drone jammer was used, but without success.”A helicopter and police vehicles pursued the drone, but lost it after several kilometers,” he added….Francken said on Saturday that he would meet police next week to assess the threat and take the necessary steps to find and arrest the drone pilots.A spokesperson for Francken’s office told Reuters news agency police were investigating the incident. Government ministers will discuss the sightings this week.
Francken noted that the drones appeared to target sensitive locations, including F-16s and munitions.
‘It’s not a drone that just happened to cross the military base. It was there for a long time, so it was definitely for spying,’ Francken said.The US stores an estimated 10 to 20 B61 nuclear bombs at the Kleine Brogel Air Base, which plays a key role in NATO’s nuclear deterrence strategy in Europe and hosts F-16 fighter jets, according to the base’s website.The site notes that these jets are scheduled to be replaced in the coming years by the F-35A, the US Air Force’s newest fifth-generation fighter.’This was not a simple flyover, but a clear attack targeting Kleine Brogel,’ Francken said. ‘It is not clear who is responsible for the drone sightings.’
Earlier this fall, a drone incursion into Denmark disrupted its airport. More mysterious drone sightings have continued throughout Europe.
Drones were also spotted flying above other military air bases – the Leopoldsburg, in central Limburg province, and Marche-en-Famenne in the south-east of the country.VRT reported over the weekend that drones were also seen close to coastal Ostend and Antwerp’s Deurne airports.It marks the latest incident involving drones disrupting European airspace in recent months.In October, unconfirmed drone sightings forced Germany’s Munich airport to suspend operations twice in 24 hours.
[Featured image via YouTube]
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