After the drone incidents, Belgium calls for the help of foreign armies. Specialists brought from several countries
A Belgian F-16 fighter jet participates in NATO's nuclear air exercise “Steadfast Noon” at Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Belgium on Oct. 18, 2022. Illustrative image. PHOTO: Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD / AFP / Profimedia
Belgium has called for the help of foreign armed forces in an attempt to seize or track drones that have made incursions into airports, military bases and the area of a nuclear power plant, reports Reuters.
The sighting of drones last Tuesday forced authorities to close Brussels airport, Belgium's busiest, for several hours. It was just one of a series of recent incidents that also led to temporary suspensions of activity at Liège airport, a cargo hub, and also disrupted an air base.
“We are not saying it is Russia. We are saying it looks like Russia. It is impossible to connect any incident with an actor. We have nothing,” said a Belgian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly.
“We're working with partners to try to get hold of a drone or detect where it's launched from and where it's going,” the official said.
Moscow has denied any involvement in the drone incidents. The Russian embassy in Brussels said last week that it had “neither motive nor interest in such activities”.
Also last week, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken told Het Laatste Nieuws that there is an assumption that Russia is behind these incidents, “but I can't prove it.”
Belgium, he said, is being closely monitored in the context of Russian assets blocked at Euroclear, a financial institution based in Brussels. The EU proposed using these funds to finance Ukraine. Russia has threatened a “painful response” if that happens.
Help from abroad
Anti-drone teams from France and Germany have arrived in Belgium, and 20 British Air Force specialists are to bring systems that can jam the electronic signals necessary for drones to operate.
“We don't know and the Belgians still don't know the source of these drones, but we will help them by providing them with our equipment and our capabilities,” Richard Knighton, the head of the British armed forces, told the BBC.
In some cases, the drones spotted were large and flying in formation, meaning they were likely to have been operated by trained specialists, the Belgian official who spoke to Reuters said.
On Friday, the Belgian government gave a provisional green light to invest 50 million euros in the acquisition of drone detection and decommissioning systems, but it is not yet clear when this equipment will be available.
