The Belgian armed forces have been ordered to shoot down all unidentified drones detected over military air bases. This was announced by the Chief of the Belgian General Staff Frederic Vansina, quoted by Belga News Agency, reports Focus.
Vansina stressed that the program to protect Belgium from drones is developing at an accelerated pace and that the updated countermeasure plan will be presented to the government in the coming weeks.
At the moment, Belgium has limited resources to combat unidentified drones - including detection equipment, signal jamming and specialized anti-drone guns.
„If more drones appear over military bases, our forces already have permission to shoot them down. The order has been issued,“ Vansina said during a ceremony in Zeebrugge. He specified that the drones can only be shot down when safety is guaranteed, without the risk of collateral damage.
The military commander admitted that the task is not easy, since most drones fly at night, are small in size and are extremely maneuverable.
A few days ago, Belgian authorities launched an investigation after several drones appeared over a military base in the south of the country. A little later, new suspicious devices were detected over the Kleine-Brogel base in eastern Belgium - a strategic site where F-16 fighter jets are located.
Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said that the purpose of these drones was probably to scout military aviation positions and collect sensitive information.