Unknown drones continue to cause disruption at airports and military bases across Europe. This weekend, Dutch authorities reported several drone sightings above Volkel Air Base and the military-civil airport in Eindhoven. At Eindhoven, the drones forced flights to divert and led to several cancellations. None of the drones were intercepted.
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On Friday evening, multiple drones were spotted above Volkel Air Base. The location is highly sensitive: it hosts F-35 fighter jets and is widely believed to store American nuclear weapons. According to the Dutch defence minister, attempts were made to bring the drones down, but they escaped and could not be traced.
At Eindhoven Airport, drones were seen on Saturday evening. Flight operations were immediately disrupted, with aircraft diverted to other airports. The Royal Netherlands Air Force said anti-drone measures were deployed, but again the drones vanished without authorities identifying their origin.
A week earlier, a swarm of drones was also seen above a harbour and industrial area on the Dutch coast.
Counter measures don’t work
The incident at Volkel is especially worrying. The base holds strategically important aircraft and reportedly highly sensitive weapons, yet the Dutch military tools to stop small, cheap drones didn’t prove effective. In Ukraine, drones have already proven decisive on the battlefield. A decent answer on countering them near sensitive sites is very welcome.
To find answers, the Dutch armed forces have asked private companies for help. A national competition aims to speed up innovation and encourage new counter-drone technologies.
Russian involvement?
Across Europe, drone incidents show a growing pattern. While the Netherlands is affected now, Belgium faced similar problems only two weeks ago. Earlier this autumn, several Scandinavian airports were forced to shut down.
The question of why drones are flying over military bases and airports is causing serious concern. So far, apart from flight cancellations, they have not caused any damage. And in the Netherlands, military facilities can easily be viewed on Google Maps. Then why fly drones over them?
According to insiders spoken to by this site, authorities are currently considering the possibility of attempts to undermine public confidence. The repeated drone sightings and the inability to intercept them are fueling public unease. That would fit the strategy of a foreign actor seeking to sow division.
It is suspected that the drone sightings are linked to Russia, but so far no evidence of involvement has been found. Simply because the drone operators have not been identified by European authorities.
