Belgian MP raises alarm after repeated drone sightings over Kleine-Brogel airbase

On the night of 01 November 2025, unidentified drones were again seen over the Kleine-Brogel air base in the Belgian province of Limburg, a site widely reported to store United States nuclear weapons under NATO sharing arrangements. It was the second consecutive night of incursions, following a first sighting on 31 October 2025. Local police were dispatched after observers near the base sounded the alarm, and federal authorities deployed a helicopter alongside ground vehicles to track the aircraft. According to Belga, the drones were described as a larger type flying at higher altitude, circling the base for extended periods.

Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken called the repeated incursions deeply concerning. He told RTBF that the drones appeared to be conducting surveillance, looking for the positions of F-16 aircraft, munitions and other strategic assets, and he framed the pattern as resembling a spy operation. Francken said attempts to jam the drones electronically and to bring them down were ineffective, and that pursuers lost the signal after following one drone for a stretch before it disappeared.

Francken announced an anti-drone plan worth roughly 50 million euros, to be put to the Council of Ministers, covering detection systems, counter-drone equipment and means to locate operators. He stressed the priority of identifying and apprehending the pilots, who remained unknown. As reported by Belga, the operators could not be identified and no drone was downed during the incidents.

The 01 November 2025 sighting forms part of a multi-night series over Kleine-Brogel that continued into the following days and coincided with drone disruptions at Belgian airports. Belgian officials, including Francken, characterised the activity as deliberate and professional, raising the possibility of state-linked hybrid warfare and pointing cautiously toward Russia. However, no operator was identified and no attribution has been proven; Francken himself said he could not confirm who was responsible. The inability to jam, down or trace the drones underscored gaps in Belgian counter-drone capability around a strategically sensitive installation.