Belgium buys drone-on-drone tech made in Latvia

MILAN — Following suspicious drone flights near a Belgian nuclear base earlier this month, Brussels has devoted €50 million ($58 million) for the purchase of new counter-drone equipment.

The decision by the Belgian Ministry of Defense follows pressure to reinforce the country’s airspace, as authorities have wrestled to respond effectively to periodic air traffic interference in recent weeks.

As part of the anti-drone investments the Belgian government is banking on drone-interceptor technology from Latvia-based company Origin Robotics.

Dubbed the Blaze interceptor, the system was only launched in May and combines radar-based detection with artificial-intelligence computer vision to neutralize fast-moving targets, including loitering munitions and hostile drones.

“The country has struggled to respond to repeated airspace interruptions due to insufficient counter-drone capacity – in recent weeks, Belgium had to call in support from Germany and the U.K. to compensate for the shortfall,” the Latvian company said in a statement.

Brussels was targeted on two consecutive nights at the strt of the month by drones that flew in different stages near the Kleine Brogel installation, an airbase where U.S. tactical nuclear weapons and Belgium’s F-16 fleet are stationed.

According to Origin Robotics, Blaze destroys a drone through airburst fragmentation, meaning that it explodes near it and releases small parts of shrapnel that damage the system without needing to strike it directly.

In addition, the interceptor is equipped with safety controls so operators can cancel an attack and order it to come back, or it can self-neutralize if something goes wrong.

The company declined to share the specific number of units ordered or when deliveries of these systems could begin.

However, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said in a post on his X social media platform on Nov. 17, during a visit to Latvia, that these counter-drone systems would strengthen Belgium’s capabilities “in a couple of weeks.”

Origin Robotics’ combat drone Beak is already in use by the Latvian and Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Latvian manufacturer has plans to get involved in the so-called European Drone Wall initiative proposed by the bloc earlier last month to fend off Russian incursions with unmanned aerial vehicles.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——本月初，比利时一处核基地附近出现可疑的无人机飞行后，布鲁塞尔方面已拨款 5000 万欧元（5800 万美元）用于购买新的反无人机设备。

比利时国防部做出这一决定，是迫于加强该国领空安全的压力。近几周来，当局一直在努力有效应对不时发生的空中交通干扰事件。

作为反无人机投资的一部分，比利时政府寄希望于拉脱维亚公司 Origin Robotics 的无人机拦截器技术。

该系统名为“烈焰”拦截器，于今年5月推出，它将基于雷达的探测与人工智能计算机视觉相结合，用于摧毁快速移动的目标，包括巡飞弹和敌方无人机。

“由于反无人机能力不足，比利时一直难以应对反复发生的空域中断——最近几周，比利时不得不向德国和英国寻求支持以弥补不足，”这家拉脱维亚公司在一份声明中表示。

月初，布鲁塞尔连续两个晚上遭到无人机袭击，这些无人机分阶段飞越克莱因布罗赫尔空军基地附近，该基地驻扎着美国战术核武器和比利时的 F-16 机队。

据 Origin Robotics 公司称，Blaze 通过空中爆炸碎片摧毁无人机，这意味着它会在无人机附近爆炸，释放出细小的弹片，在无需直接击中无人机的情况下对其造成损坏。

此外，拦截器还配备了安全控制装置，以便操作员可以取消攻击并命令它返回，或者在出现问题时可以自我中和。

该公司拒绝透露具体的订单数量，也拒绝透露这些系统何时可以开始交付。

然而，比利时国防部长西奥·弗兰肯 (Theo Francken) 于 11 月 17 日在访问拉脱维亚期间，在其社交媒体平台上发帖称，这些反无人机系统将在“几周内”加强比利时的能力。

Origin Robotics公司的战斗无人机Beak已被拉脱维亚和乌克兰武装部队使用。这家拉脱维亚制造商计划参与欧盟上月初提出的所谓“欧洲无人机墙”计划，该计划旨在抵御俄罗斯利用无人机进行的入侵。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。