Drones See Continued Presence Over Belgian Military Base

Mon Nov 03 2025 22:59:02 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

For the third consecutive night, drones have been spotted flying over the Kleine-Brogel military base in Belgium, prompting an investigation into potential espionage activities.

Drones have been observed over the Kleine-Brogel military base in Belgium for three nights, leading to speculation about espionage activities. Defence Minister Theo Francken announced an investigation, as helicopters were deployed after the sightings, which also included other military installations. This incident adds to recent concerns about drone activities disrupting airspace in Europe.

Drones have been seen flying over a Belgian military base near the Dutch border for a third night in a row, as reported by the country's defence minister.

A helicopter was deployed to the Kleine-Brogel base after drones were spotted - they then flew off towards the Netherlands, national broadcaster VRT reported.

Defence Minister Theo Francken confirmed that an investigation was initiated, describing it as a clear mission targeting Kleine Broge.

Francken, speaking on Belgian radio, suggested that it appeared to be an espionage operation but refrained from speculating on the identities of those possibly responsible.

I have some ideas, but I'm going to be cautious, he added.

Other military installations, such as the Leopoldsburg in central Limburg province and Marche-en-Famenne in the southeast, have also reported drone sightings.

Furthermore, drones were seen near coastal Ostend and Antwerp's Deurne airports over the weekend.

This incident is the latest in a series of drones disrupting airspace across Europe. In October, unconfirmed drone sightings led to the suspension of operations at Munich airport in Germany.

In a similar vein, Denmark highlighted drone activity above its airports that seemed to involve a professional actor. The Danish Defence Minister confirmed there was no evidence linking Russia to these incursions.

In September, Estonia and Poland sought consultations with NATO members after about 20 Russian drones traversed into Polish airspace, while Russian MiG31 jets entered Estonian airspace. Russia denied these allegations.

The European Commission has proposed four defence initiatives, which include a counter-drone system to enhance Europe's security capabilities by 2030.

}