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British Chief of the Defence Staff, Richard Knighton, stated that the United Kingdom is following the example of France and Germany in providing staff and equipment to help Belgium counter drone intrusions around sensitive facilities.
Belgium's Defense Minister, Theo Francken, has criticized the British for their decision to deploy an anti-drone team in Belgium, after similar moves by France and Germany were announced in recent days.
Airports in Brussels and Liège were forced to suspend flights last week after unidentified drones were spotted in their airspace, and other drones flew over the port of Antwerp recently. Belgian military bases have also been targeted.
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) incursions into critical EU infrastructure sites have escalated in recent months, with the European Commission calling them part of Russia's hybrid warfare against the bloc. Russia denies the accusations.
Belgium's National Air Safety Center will be fully operational by January 1, 2026, Francken said after holding an emergency meeting of the National Security Council on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Belgian government has asked for help from Berlin, Paris and London, which are all sending air force experts.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said the drone strikes were linked to ongoing talks about using frozen Russian assets to help finance Ukraine's efforts to defend itself against a full-scale invasion by Moscow. The assets are held primarily at Belgium's Euroclear facility.
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