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07. November 2025
Drones Infiltrate Belgiums Nuclear Arsenal As Nato Fights For Answers
The brazen drone incursion over Belgium’s Kleine Brogel airbase, which stores US nuclear weapons, has sent shockwaves throughout the NATO community. The incident marks the latest escalation in a months-long campaign of drone incursions across NATO territory, exposing critical vulnerabilities in European air defenses.
On November 1-2, 2025, three large drones conducted targeted surveillance over Kleine Brogel Air Base, evading Belgian military jammers and police helicopter pursuit. Defense Minister Theo Francken called the incident “a clear command targeting Kleine Broger,” indicating that the operation was deliberate and not an accidental overflight.
The brazen drone incursion has raised concerns about NATO’s ability to detect, track, and neutralize sophisticated unmanned aircraft. The incident highlights the need for improved counter-drone capabilities, particularly in Europe, where the threat is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Belgian authorities detected the drones flying at higher altitudes over Kleine Brogel Air Base in Limburg Province on Saturday night.
The base, located just 6 miles from the Netherlands border, is widely known to store American B61 nuclear gravity bombs under NATO’s nuclear sharing arrangements and will house Belgium’s new F-35A Lightning II fleet starting in 2027. Defense Minister Theo Francken confirmed that Belgian forces deployed electronic jamming equipment in an unsuccessful attempt to disable the drones.
“A drone jammer was used, but without success,” Francken said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the countermeasures may have failed due to “distance or radio frequency issues.” The pattern of repeated intrusions over Belgian military sites is concerning. The Saturday night incident followed drone sightings at the same airbase just 24 hours earlier on October 31, when authorities also failed to intercept the unmanned aircraft.
Belgian media outlet VTM Nieuws reported that drones were also observed over the nearby Leopoldsburg military area on the same night, approximately 12 miles from Kleine Brogel. “This was not a simple overflight, but a clear command targeting Kleine Broger,” Francken stated. “Last night, three reports were made about the appearance of larger drones flying at high altitude over Kleine Brogel.”
The Belgian Defense Minister characterized the incidents as probable espionage operations rather than accidental overflights. “How they operate exactly, where they hover, what they examine and how long such a flight lasts: these are not accidents,” he told Belgian broadcaster VRT. Belgium has experienced an escalating series of drone incursions at military facilities in recent months.
Investigations are already underway into multiple sightings over the Marche-en-Famenne military base in southeastern Belgium and another facility at Elsenborn on the German border last month. Additional drone activity was reported at Deurne Airport and Ostend Airport in recent nights. Belgian authorities have proposed a €500 million counter-drone defense plan to address the issue.
Francken announced that his department will present a €50 million emergency counter-drone package to the Belgian Cabinet on Friday, with plans for a comprehensive €500 million long-term investment program. The immediate funding would cover standardized drone reporting systems, additional anti-drone equipment, and enhanced detection capabilities.
The brazen drone incursion has raised concerns about NATO’s ability to detect, track, and neutralize sophisticated unmanned aircraft. The incident highlights the need for improved counter-drone capabilities, particularly in Europe, where the threat is becoming increasingly sophisticated. Russian attribution suspected but not confirmed, European officials suspect Russian involvement in the continent-wide drone campaign.
While Francken acknowledged that European officials suspect Russian involvement, he stopped short of direct attribution. “I cannot say who is behind this, that is currently speculation,” the minister said. However, investigators are “looking at state actors, and the state actor that poses the greatest threat at the moment is, of course, Russia, because of the war in Ukraine.”
NATO member states have been on heightened alert following a wave of drone sightings and airspace violations across Europe in recent months. The alliance has characterized the incidents as potential hybrid warfare operations designed to probe defenses, gather intelligence, and test NATO’s response capabilities.
In September, approximately 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace during attacks on Ukraine, marking the first time NATO forces shot down Russian aircraft since Moscow’s 2022 invasion began. Poland invoked NATO’s Article 4 for emergency consultations—only the eighth time the collective security provision has been triggered since 1949.
Denmark experienced seven consecutive days of drone incursions at airports and military installations in late September, prompting NATO to deploy a German warship for air defense during a European Union summit in Copenhagen. Oslo’s Gardermoen Airport and Copenhagen Airport both experienced forced closures due to drone activity.
Germany confirmed in October that military reconnaissance drones—not consumer-grade models—had systematically mapped critical infrastructure including naval shipyards, power plants, and military bases across northern Germany. Munich Airport was forced to shut down twice due to what a classified German government report identified as professional military surveillance platforms.
The EU’s fast-tracked “drone wall” defense system with its €140+ billion price tag won’t help Belgium right now. The initiative remains stalled by France and Germany over control disputes, even as drones fly over nuclear weapons storage facilities.