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Unidentified Drones Breach Airspace Near NATO Base With US Nuclear Arms

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Photo of Ivan Khomenko
Ivan Khomenko
News Writer
Florennes Air Base, home to Belgium’s first operational F-35 squadron, October 13, 2025. Illustrative photo. (Source: Getty Images)
Florennes Air Base, home to Belgium’s first operational F-35 squadron, October 13, 2025. Illustrative photo. (Source: Getty Images)

Unidentified drones were detected near the Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Belgium, a site known to store US nuclear weapons, on the night of November 1, according to VRT NWS.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken confirmed that “several drones” were spotted near the base. Local authorities reported that a helicopter was deployed to intercept them, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

Steven Matheï, the mayor of Peer, where the base is located, told VRT NWS that the detection system identified between one and three drones. “A helicopter was deployed to intercept the drones, but this was unsuccessful,” he said.

Matheï added that the Defense Ministry would meet with local police next week “to analyze the threat and take measures so we can identify and arrest the drone operators.”

According to Het Belang van Limburg, a staff member at the Kleine-Brogel barracks first noticed the drones. Police arrived at the scene but found no trace of them, and it remains unclear whether the UAVs flew directly over the base or nearby.

The Kleine-Brogel Air Base serves as one of Belgium’s key military installations and hosts American nuclear weapons under NATO arrangements. The facility is also preparing to accommodate new F-35 fighter jets starting in 2027.

Earlier, Belgian troops detected a swarm of 15 unidentified drones over the Elsenborn training base near the German border—a NATO facility used for live-fire exercises. The drones were spotted during tests of a detection system and later crossed into German airspace.

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