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Belgian defense minister says drones spotted above airbase to 'spy' on fighter jets

Iran Press TV

Monday, 03 November 2025 11:42 AM

The Belgian defense minister has said that several drones were spotted above their airbase "to spy" on military fighter jets.

Theo Francken told media on Sunday that the drones were spotted above the Kleine-Brogel Air Base over the weekend.

Kleine-Brogel Air Base, in the municipality of Peer, hosts the country's largest unit of Belgian defense forces with the declared objective to "fundamentally contribute to NATO's nuclear deterrence strategy," according to its website.

The Kleine-Brogel Air Base has been reported by local media to be a storage place for nuclear arms belonging to the US military.

Francken told CNN affiliate RTBF the drones' mission was "to spy" on the military fighter jets, including F-16s, at the airbase.

"They come to spy, to see where the F-16s are, where the munitions are, and other highly strategic things."

While pointing to the "long time" that one of the drones had spent flying over the airbase, the Belgian defense minister insisted that the drones were clearly on a "spying" mission.

"It was not a regular overflight, but a clear mission targeting Kleine Brogel," Francken wrote on X.

Drones were also sighted this weekend over the military terrains of Leopoldburg and Marches-en-Famenne, as well as the airports of Deurne and Ostend.

Last month, 15 unidentified drones were spotted flying over the Elsenborn military base near the German border.

European countries are on high alert after recent incursions by drones and aircraft into NATO airspace.

European leaders have suggested creating a so-called "drone wall" around the NATO countries.

The proposed "drone wall" will try to protect the eastern edge of the continent against drone incursions claimed to be from Russia.

In response, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said the far-right Ukrainian Banderites are behind the European drone frenzy.

"Drones have been spotted everywhere - near military bases, at airports, in the fields, and over cities. And it is unclear who deploys them," Medvedev, who is presently the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, wrote on the Max messaging app.

He said that the repeated violation of NATO airspace could be part of a Black Ops covert operation with the objective of agitating and intimidating European leaders, triggering them to increase their weapons purchases from the US, where arms and ammunition manufacturers have seen increased margins in sales as wars continue across the globe.