We just got the news that Britain has deployed defence experts and equipment to Belgium after a week of disruptive drone activity that forced airports in Brussels, Charleroi and Liege to suspend flights and raised concerns over the security of critical infrastructure.
This follows similar deployments from France and Germany. Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken thanked London for its support, saying the additional teams will reinforce national efforts to protect airspace around airports, ports and military sites.
Rising drone activity across Belgian airspace
Unidentified drones were spotted over Brussels, Charleroi and Liege airports last week, grounding or diverting flights, while other UAVs overflew the port of Antwerp and several military facilities.
Belgian intelligence services believe the incursions are part of a broader pattern of hybrid interference, though the government has avoided directly naming Russia. Francken said only that Moscow remains "a plausible suspect."
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius suggested the incidents may be linked to ongoing EU discussions about using frozen Russian assets (many held in Belgium's Euroclear) to support Ukraine's defence, while Moscow has rejected all accusations.
Belgium's National Air Security Center is expected to be fully operational by January 1, 2026, but authorities have requested immediate assistance from partners as drone activity across Europe continues to escalate.
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