Belgium enlists foreign forces to combat drone incursions
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A "no drone zone" placard at Brussels Airport on Nov 6, after drone sightings that closed the airport in Zaventem, Belgium.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BRUSSELS – Belgium has enlisted the help of foreign armed forces to seize or track down drones that have made incursions around its airports, military bases and a nuclear plant, with officials saying the incidents bear the hallmarks of Russian interference.
Drone sightings forced the authorities to close Brussels Airport
“We’re not saying it’s Russia. We’re saying it looks like Russia. It’s impossible to connect any incident with an actor. We have nothing,” said a Belgian official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak on the record.
“We are working with partners to try to get our hands on a drone, or detect where it is launched from and where it’s going.”
Russia has denied any involvement with the drones. Its Brussels embassy said in a statement last week it had “neither motive nor interest in such activities”.
Belgium’s Defence Minister Theo Francken told the newspaper Het Laatste Nieuws last week there were assumptions that Russia was behind the incursions, “but I can’t prove it”.
Belgium was, he said, being closely monitored because of Russian assets frozen at Brussels-based securities depository Euroclear. The European Union has proposed using those funds to finance Ukraine. Russia has threatened to make a “painful response” if that happens.
French, German and British anti-drone teams have arrived in Belgium. Around 20 British Royal Air Force specialists were deployed with systems that can jam the electronic signals that drones require to operate.
“We don’t know, and the Belgians don’t yet know the source of those drones, but we will help them by providing our kit and capability,” the head of Britain’s armed forces, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, told the BBC.
In some cases, the drones seen were large and flying in formation, which means they are likely to have been operated by trained specialists, the Belgian official said.
On Nov 7, the Belgian government also gave provisional clearance to spend €50 million (S$75.3 million) on systems to detect drones and put them out of action, although it is not clear when that equipment will be available.
REUTERS
