Dutch military uses weapons against drones sighted above the air force base in Volkel

On the evening of 21 November 2025, Dutch military personnel opened fire on multiple unidentified drones detected over Volkel Air Base in the southern Netherlands. Caretaker Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans confirmed the engagement, stating that drones had been spotted above the base and that "weapons were deployed from the ground to shoot them down." According to Reuters and other outlets citing the minister, the drones were not brought down: Brekelmans said the aircraft "left and have not (yet) been found." The Ministry of Defence released no details on the number, size, type or origin of the drones, citing security reasons.

Volkel Air Base is one of the most sensitive military sites in the Netherlands. It hosts a fleet of Dutch F-35A fighter jets and is widely reported to be a storage location for US B61 nuclear gravity bombs assigned to NATO's nuclear-sharing mission. Reporting noted that the incident marked an apparent first acknowledged use of weapons against drones over a Dutch base.

The following evening, on 22 November, air traffic at nearby Eindhoven Airport was suspended for around three hours after multiple drones were reported in the vicinity. Six inbound flights were diverted to Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels and Weeze in Germany, while two departures were held on the ground. Brekelmans said traffic resumed at around 11 p.m. and that the Ministry of Defence had taken measures but could not disclose further details. As of the reporting, no drones had been recovered and their origin remained unknown.

The Volkel and Eindhoven incidents fit a wider pattern of unexplained drone activity over European military and civilian sites in late 2025, including repeated sightings near Belgium's Kleine Brogel air base, which also holds US nuclear weapons. Dutch officials have publicly suggested such incursions may be linked to Russia, but Prime Minister Dick Schoof has acknowledged this cannot be proven. With no drones recovered and origin unconfirmed, whether the flights represent coordinated state-linked surveillance or other activity remains unestablished.