Drones spotted above Belgian airbase were ‘spying’ on military planes, defense minister says
A road sign is seen pointing toward the Kleine Brogel on Sunday
By Billy Stockwell, Catherine Nicholls, CNN
(CNN) — Several drones spotted above a Belgian airbase over the weekend were there “to spy” on military fighter jets, the country’s defense minister said Sunday, at a time when European nations are on high alert for airspace intrusions.
“They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the munitions are, and other highly strategic things,” Theo Francken told CNN affiliate RTBF.
The drones were clearly “spying,” the minister said, noting the “long time” one of them had spent over the airbase.
Kleine-Brogel Air Base, in the municipality of Peer, hosts the largest unit of Belgian defense forces in the country and aims to “fundamentally contribute to NATO’s nuclear deterrence strategy,” according to its website. Local media reports have long rumoured the presence of US nuclear weapons at the site.
When asked for comment, NATO referred CNN to the Belgian authorities. CNN has approached Belgium’s Ministry of Defense for further comment.
The latest sightings come as Europe is on high alert after recent incursions by drones and aircraft into NATO airspace.
The airbase is home to F-16 fighter jets, the airbase’s website said, adding that these are set to be replaced by “ultramodern” F-35s within “a few years.”
Speaking of the latest sightings, Francken said that Russia is “trying to do this in all European countries” but stopped short of directly pinning the blame on Moscow.
“Is it the Russians now? I cannot say that, but the motives are clear,” he said.
On Sunday, Francken posted on X that three reports had been received the previous night of drones above Kleine-Brogel. The drones were of “a larger type and flying at higher altitude,” he said.
He stressed that they were not just flying over Kleine-Brogel, but were clearly monitoring the airbase.
“A drone jammer was used, but without success … A helicopter and police vehicles chased the drone, but lost it after several kilometers,” he said.
The most recent sightings follow other reports of drones above Kleine-Brogel earlier on Saturday. Those sightings kicked off an investigation, with Francken declaring that it is “strictly forbidden to fly drones above military areas.”
Earlier this week, Lithuania closed its border with Belarus following “constant violations” of its airspace, the country’s foreign ministry said.
Last month, Belgian defense officials also reported that an unspecified number of drones flew over the country’s Elsenborn military base and toward the border with Germany.
The-CNN-Wire
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