London (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – British military personnel and equipment are being deployed to Belgium to support its defences following drone incursions into its airspace, suspected to be conducted by Russia, according to Sir Richard Knighton, the new head of the UK military.
Knighton told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that his Belgian counterpart requested help earlier this week. Equipment and personnel were on the way, he said. Belgium’s main airport, Zavantem, had to close temporarily on Thursday night after drones were seen nearby. Drones were also spotted in other areas, including a military base.
What role will UK forces play in Belgium’s defence?
“The defence secretary and I agreed that we would deploy our people and our equipment to Belgium to help them,”
he said. Sir Richard did not affirm whether the drones were from Russia, but also said it was “plausible” they had been ordered by Russia.
Alongside Nato allies, he also said that the UK would support Belgium
“by providing our kit and capability,”
which he stated was already being deployed. It comes after Sir Richard cautioned of an “increasingly certain world” in a Sunday Telegraph opinion column to commemorate Remembrance Sunday.
Noting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he stated:
“This conflict reminds us that peace is never guaranteed. It [the UK] must be defended, and sometimes at great cost”.
How did drone sightings disrupt flights at Brussels Airport?
The airspace over Brussels Zaventem Airport was shut down after a reported drone was seen flying over the airfield. About 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers were affected by this disruption. The airline stated it faced significant costs due to the cancellation or diversion of many flights.
Liège Airport, which initially received planes that could not land at Brussels Airport, also closed after another drone sighting incident. Skeyes, the public organisation in charge of Belgium’s civil airspace, reported the first sighting of a drone at around 8:00 PM local time. This led to flights being redirected to other airports like Ostend-Bruges and Charleroi Brussels South.
What other European countries have faced similar airspace violations?
Over the last few months, European airspace, beginning with Poland, has seen many drone and fighter jet incursions believed to be linked to Russia. In early September 2025, Poland had about 20 Russian drones enter its airspace, leading NATO jets to respond.
Similar drone incursions happened in Romania, resulting in temporary airport closures in major European cities like Copenhagen, Munich, Berlin, and Brussels. There were also sightings near military bases in Belgium and Denmark. Additionally, Russian fighter jets breached airspace in countries such as Estonia and Denmark.
