Mysterious Drones Spotted Over Military Base In Belgium For Second Time In 24 Hours

A mysterious drone was spotted above a sensitive Belgium air base late on November 1 for the second time in less than 24 hours.

The sighting came just one day after several drone were spotted over the same air base on Oct. 31.

According to the country’s defense minister the unauthorized drones spotted over the Kleine Brogel air base were there “to spy” on fighter jets and ammunition. The base located in northern Belgium is one of the country’s biggest and is home to F-16 fighter jets and American nuclear weapons.

The sightings were the latest in a series of airspace violations across NATO involving drones in recent months.

Theo Francken expressed concerns that the flights could be part of a spying operation. However, he stopped short of accusing Russia of being responsible, despite many nations pointing the finger at Moscow over recent incursions.

The Daily Express reports: Defense Minister Theo Francken expressed concerns that the flights could be part of a spying operation. However, he stopped short of accusing Russia of being responsible, despite many nations pointing the finger at Moscow over recent incursions. Speaking to Belgian public broadcaster RTBF, Mr Francken said: “They [the drones] come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the ammunition are, and other highly strategic information.”

He added: “The Russians are trying to do this in all European countries.

“Is it the Russians now? I can’t say that, but the motives are clear and the ways of doing things like this are also very clear.”

On Saturday morning, Mr Francken said on X that “several drones” had been spotted over Kleine Brogel the night before.

Drones were then seen again the following night, he confirmed, saying there had been three reports.

The minister said a drone gun jammer was fired but was ineffective, with a police helicopter and vehicles pursuing a UAV only to lose contact after a few kilometres.

Local media reported that drones were again spotted for the third consecutive night on Sunday.

Speaking to RTBF on Monday, Mr Francken said the incidents “resemble a spy operation”.

He said he had a “few ideas” but didn’t want to speculate further with an investigation underway.

The minister said the first incident involved small drones to “test radio frequencies”, while on Saturday and Sunday there were “large drones for observation and destabilisation”.

Mr Francken has ruled out the flights being a prank, pointing towards the operators changing and having their own frequencies.

“An amateur doesn’t know how to do that,” he said.

Kleine Brogel is used by NATO forces and, according to its website, the base aims to “fundamentally contribute” to the alliance’s nuclear deterrence.

Last month, several drones were spotted above another Belgian military base near the German border. The operators were not identified.