Belgium suspects ‘spy operation’ in drone flight near nuclear air base

MILAN — Authorities have recorded 14 unidentified drone sightings across Europe in the last two months, the latest hovering above a Belgium tactical fighter aircraft base that also reportedly houses U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said Belgium was targeted on two consecutive nights from Nov. 1-3 by drones that flew in different stages near the Kleine Brogel installation.

The first phase included “small drones to test the radio frequencies” of the country’s security agencies, and the subsequent one consisted of “big drones to destabilize the area and people,” Francken said in an interview with Belgian public broadcaster RTBF.

“It resembles a spy operation – by whom, I don’t know. I have a few ideas, but I am going to be careful [about speculation],” he added.

While Washington does not disclose the number of tactical nuclear weapons deployed on European soil, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation estimated that there are at least 100 U.S.-owned ones stored in five NATO countries across six bases, including Kleine Brogel.

The air base is also home to Belgium’s F-16 fleet and is set to host some of the country’s F-35 fighter jets, of which the first units were received late last month.

The incident is the most recent in a wave of drone incursions that has plagued more than a handful of European countries since the fall. The peak of aerial intrusions happened between Sept. 20 and Oct. 5, during which a significant burst of activity was reported primarily in Denmark, Norway, Germany and Belgium.

After this multi-country wave, the number of recorded drone sightings slowed but continued with repeated incursions in Belgium and Germany in the last week. A majority of these cases were geographically concentrated along NATO’s northern flank.

The most common types of targets included military installations and dual-use airports.

Most sightings appear to have taken place at night, often in group formations of multiple drones at once.

An analysis published by the French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs argued that the targeting of Denmark likely had a political purpose, as the country holds the presidency of the EU Council until the end of this year.

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——过去两个月，欧洲各地共记录到 14 起不明无人机目击事件，最近一次是在比利时一个战术战斗机基地上空盘旋，据报道该基地还存放着美国战术核武器。

比利时国防部长西奥·弗兰肯表示，11月1日至3日连续两个晚上，比利时遭到无人机袭击，这些无人机分阶段飞越克莱纳布罗赫尔军事基地附近。

弗兰肯在接受比利时公共广播公司RTBF采访时表示，第一阶段包括使用“小型无人机测试该国安全机构的无线电频率”，随后的阶段则包括使用“大型无人机破坏该地区和人民的稳定”。

“这很像一次间谍行动——至于是谁策划的，我不知道。我有一些想法，但我会谨慎行事（避免妄加猜测）。”他补充道。

虽然华盛顿方面没有透露部署在欧洲土地上的战术核武器的数量，但军备控制和不扩散中心估计，至少有 100 枚美国拥有的战术核武器储存在五个北约国家的六个基地中，其中包括克莱恩布罗赫尔基地。

该空军基地也是比利时 F-16 机队的驻地，并将部署该国的部分 F-35 战斗机，其中首批 F-35 战斗机已于上月底接收。

此次事件是自秋季以来困扰多个欧洲国家的一系列无人机入侵事件中的最新一起。空中入侵的高峰期出现在9月20日至10月5日之间，期间丹麦、挪威、德国和比利时等国报告了显著的无人机活动激增。

在经历了这波多国袭击之后，无人机目击事件的记录数量有所放缓，但上周比利时和德国仍反复发生无人机入侵事件。这些事件大多集中在北约北翼沿线。

最常见的袭击目标类型包括军事设施和军民两用机场。

大多数目击事件似乎都发生在夜间，而且经常是多架无人机同时成群出现。

法国国际与战略事务研究所发表的一份分析报告认为，针对丹麦的行动很可能具有政治目的，因为丹麦将担任欧盟理事会轮值主席国直至今年年底。

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。