Belgium’s Defense Minister Theo Francken announced on Monday that the country will accelerate the rollout of its national anti-drone measures. Speaking from San Francisco during Belgium’s economic mission, Francken said several initiatives originally scheduled for 2026 will now be implemented this year.
Under the updated plan, the Ministry of Defence intends to improve the reporting of drone incidents and expand cooperation with Skeydrone, a subsidiary of Belgian airspace manager Skeyes, which operates a nationwide sensor network. The ministry plans to deploy similar detection systems at military sites to complement the existing network.
Data from these systems will feed into a new National Air Security Centre (NASC) in Bevekom, designed as an airspace counterpart to Belgium’s maritime information hub. The Defence Ministry also plans to procure counter-drone systems targeting Class 1 and 2 drones weighing up to 600 kilograms.
Francken declined to detail which technologies would be used. “That will be included in my proposal. One of the conditions is that they must be available quickly,” he said, adding that no additional budget would be required this year. “I will submit the dossier to the Council of Ministers within two weeks. We have lost too much time. That is why we must accelerate our efforts; the situation is urgent. We are not at war, but we are in a military crisis.”
Francken’s remarks come as Belgian military personnel participated in a NATO operation against Russian drones that entered Polish airspace on Tuesday night.
Belgium Appoints First “Drone General”The minister also confirmed the appointment of General Michel Van Strythem as Belgium’s new “drone general,” a role he described as possibly the first of its kind in the world. Van Strythem will oversee the accelerated anti-drone action plan.
The decision follows reports of drone activity over Belgium’s Elsenborn military base last week. “The investigation is still ongoing; we do not yet know where the drones came from, who was behind them or what their purpose was,” said Chief of Defence Frederik Vansina on Sunday.
The drones, which had wingspans of up to two metres, were “not the kind you find in shops,” Vansina added. “This is psychological warfare comparable to cyberattacks. The Russians are masters at engaging third parties.”