UK sends military experts and equipment to Belgium after drone sightings near airports
LONDON — Britain is offering support to Belgium following a series of drone sightings near airports, as announced by the head of the U.K. military on Sunday.
Over the past week, both Brussels’ main international airport and Liege, one of Europe’s largest cargo airports, experienced temporary closures due to drone intrusions. This came after unidentified drone flights were reported near a military base housing U.S. nuclear weapons.
Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton stated that the U.K. has agreed to deploy personnel and equipment to Belgium in response to a request from Belgian authorities.
Knighton mentioned, “We don’t know the source of those drones yet, but we are assisting Belgium by providing our capabilities, which are already being deployed to aid them.”
Recent drone incidents across Europe have disrupted airport operations. While Russia has been implicated in some cases, Belgium has not attributed the drone activities to any specific party. Defense Minister Theo Francken suggested that some incidents may be part of a surveillance operation beyond amateur capabilities.
Belgium, hosting NATO and the EU headquarters, along with Europe’s largest financial clearinghouse holding frozen Russian assets, is a focal point for geopolitical interests. The EU nations seek to leverage these assets as collateral for loans to Ukraine, a move that Belgium has hesitated to support.
