Belgium has become the latest country in Europe to be bedeviled by drone threats. According to several reports drones were detected near Kleine Brogel airbase over the last day. The report by Turkey’s Anadolu noted that “Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken has confirmed on Sunday that three drones were detected over the Kleine Brogel airbase overnight, calling the incident a ‘deliberate operation’ targeting the military site.”
“Last night, three reports were made of drones over Kleine Brogel – larger types flying at higher altitude. This was not an ordinary overflight, but a deliberate operation with Kleine Brogel as its target,” Francken wrote on social media. A system to counter drones, usually known as C-UAS or countering unmanned aerial systems, was used but it apparently did not work effectively.
“Police helicopters and patrol units pursued one of the drones but lost contact after several kilometers heading north. ‘The police and military intelligence (ADIV) are investigating.’” This is one of several recent incidents in Europe and Belgium. For instance drone threats also targeted the airspace around airports in Denmark and also in Germany.
DW reported that “air traffic at Berlin Brandenburg Airport was temporarily suspended on Friday evening following drone sightings, causing delays and flight diversions.” The report added that “an airport spokesman said takeoffs and landings were suspended between 8:08 p.m. (1908 GMT) and 9:58 p.m. local time, and that a ‘whole series of flights’ were diverted to other German cities during the closure.”
Europe's drone threat linked to wider, global threat
The drone threat in Europe is linked to a wider drone threat around the world as they proliferate and become cheaper and easier for various groups or countries to use. For instance, large quadcopter-type drones are increasingly being used to smuggle weapons from Egypt’s Sinai into the Negev. The IDF said on November 2 that “overnight (Sunday), IDF observation posts identified a drone that crossed from the west into Israeli territory in an attempt to smuggle weapons. After the identification, IDF soldiers intercepted and located the drone, which was carrying eight guns.”
This is one of many attempts to smuggle weapons with drones into the Negev. The border with Egypt is long, and although the IDF has increased security, the drone threat is expanding. Israel invested in constructing a fence along the border with Egypt, but like the Gaza fence, it is only good at protecting against certain threats and enemies are now increasingly turning to low-cost drones.
Israeli defense firms make a large number of systems to counter drone threats. These include various systems that can jam the drones or spot them with the help of electro-optics. Then, there are other systems that can shoot down the drones. Israel has also turned to laser air defenses to counter drone threats in the future as lasers become more versatile, mobile and effective. However, as the incidents in Europe clearly indicate, the threat is increasing and countries are not procuring enough defenses fast enough. The smuggling threat at the moment from Egypt may seem less important, but the smuggled weapons are fueling a massive increase in gun violence in Israel and have the potential to destabilize the West Bank. In addition, it points to the fact that groups in Sinai are becoming more daring and that they have access to technology and resources. This means that Sinai requires more security forces to track down these gangs, because all Israel can do is wait and try to intercept the drones when they across the border.