Overview
- Defense Minister Theo Francken said multiple drones were detected over the Kleine-Brogel air base and that the detection system functioned.
- Authorities have opened a probe and plan to work with federal police next week to assess the threat and seek the drone pilots.
- Kleine-Brogel hosted part of a recent NATO exercise that simulated defense of alliance territory with nuclear weapons and involved about 2,000 troops.
- Media reports have long suggested, without official confirmation, that U.S. nuclear weapons are stored at the site.
- The incident fits a wider pattern of recent drone overflights across Europe, including disruptions to civilian flights, while several governments and Ukraine point to possible Russian involvement that Moscow denies.