U.Okay. sends navy specialists and gear to Belgium after drone sightings close to airports

Britain is sending anti-drone gear and personnel to Belgium after a spate of sightings close to airports and navy bases, the pinnacle of the UK. navy stated on Sunday (November 9, 2025).

In the previous week each Belgium’s predominant worldwide airport at Brussels and Liege, considered one of Europe’s greatest cargo airports, had been compelled to shut briefly due to drone incursions. That got here after a collection of unidentified drone flights close to a navy base the place U.S. nuclear weapons are saved.

Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, the pinnacle of Britain’s armed forces, stated the UK. had agreed to “deploy our folks, our gear to Belgium to assist them,” after a request from Belgian authorities.

“We don’t know — and the Belgians don’t but know — the supply of these drones, however we are going to assist them by offering our equipment and functionality, which has already began to deploy to assist Belgium,” Knighton informed the BBC.

Defense Secretary John Healey stated the UK. was sending a workforce of Royal Air Force specialists to NATO ally Belgium “to counter rogue drone exercise.”

“As hybrid threats develop, our energy lies in our alliances and our collective resolve to defend, deter and defend our crucial infrastructure and airspace,” he stated.

In latest months, drone incidents throughout Europe have compelled airports to droop flights at a time. Russia has been blamed in some circumstances, however Belgium has not stated who has been working the drones. Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken stated that he believed that some incidents had been a part of “a spying operation” that would not have been completed by amateurs.

Belgium is dwelling to the headquarters of NATO and the European Union, in addition to Europe’s greatest monetary clearinghouse holding tens of billions of euros in frozen Russian property. Many EU nations wish to use these property as collateral to supply loans to Ukraine, however Belgium has up to now resisted.