Drones spotted flying near Kleine-Brogel military airbase housing nuclear weapons

Over the weekend of 31 October to 2 November 2025, multiple unidentified drones were detected flying over and near the Kleine-Brogel air base in Peer, in the Belgian province of Limburg. The base is operated by the Belgian Air Component, hosts F-16 fighter jets, and is widely reported to store US B61-series nuclear bombs under NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangement, though neither Belgium nor the United States officially confirms their presence. The base is also slated to host F-35 fighter jets from 2027.

According to Defence Minister Theo Francken, the incursions unfolded in two phases: first "small drones to test the radio frequencies" of Belgian security services, followed by "big drones to destabilise the area and people." An attempt to jam the drones failed; Francken said the operators "changed frequency" and that "an amateur doesn't know how to do that." A police helicopter pursued the drones detected on Saturday night but lost them. Police who responded on the ground reportedly arrived after the drones had departed, and military intelligence was notified.

Francken said the activity "resembles a spy operation – by whom, I don't know," adding, "I cannot say who is behind this, that is currently speculation" and "we cannot prove that Russia is behind this." The minister announced a meeting with local police and a proposed multi-million-euro drone-defence plan. The sightings followed similar reported drone activity over other Belgian military sites, part of a wider pattern of unexplained drone incursions over NATO-linked installations across Europe.

The incident fits a recurring pattern of unattributed drone overflights of sensitive NATO and military sites across Europe. The reported tactics, probing radio frequencies, switching frequencies to defeat jamming, and coordinated multi-phase flights, suggest a capable, deliberate actor rather than hobbyists, consistent with the Belgian minister's "spy operation" characterisation. No attribution has been established, and officials have explicitly declined to blame Russia without proof. The targeting of a base widely believed to store nuclear weapons heightens the strategic sensitivity, but the operators' identity and intent remain unconfirmed pending investigation.