15 drones sighted over Belgian military terrain near German border: Report

Belgium's defense officials have launched an investigation after 15 drones were observed flying over the country's Elsenborn military base in the East Cantons, close to the German border, late Thursday night, Belgian media reported.

According to the Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS, the office of Defense Minister Theo Francken confirmed that the Defense Ministry has launched an investigation.

Defense expert Jens Franssen said the drones were initially detected around 1:45 am by local police in the German city of Duren.

“They came from over our Elsenborn military base and entered German airspace. Germany reported this to the Ministry of Defense last night, sources tell me, but that information was apparently not passed on to the Ministry of Defense,” Franssen was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.

He added that a Belgian test aircraft deployed in the area to monitor drone activity also observed the drones.

The source and operators of the drones remain unknown. Franssen described the case as “a very bizarre incident,” noting that there is little of strategic importance at Elsenborn compared to the Kleine-Brogel air base, which hosts US nuclear weapons.

“As long as the origin or who controlled the drones is unclear, it’s difficult to assess what’s behind this. It does, of course, demonstrate the need for good systems that can detect, track, and identify these kinds of small drones,” he said.

The Defense Ministry has yet to provide further details.