Dutch military personnel fired at drones that flew over Volkel Air Base, marking the first confirmed incident of this kind in the country.
The devices were detected between 7 PM and 9 PM on Friday but managed to leave the airspace before being shot down. The Ministry of Defense confirmed that the Marechaussee and civilian police have opened an investigation, without disclosing how the drones were tracked or what methods were used to contain them.
The episode comes amid a recent wave of sightings in sensitive areas, including drones over the port of Terneuzen and the Dow factory, classified as no-fly zones. In another case, three “large” drones were recorded over Kleine Brogel Air Base in Belgium, which also houses B61 nuclear bombs. Following this event, the Belgian armed forces were authorized to shoot down any suspicious drone, with support from German units.
Volkel Air Base, which operates F-35 fighters and stores B61 nuclear bombs, is one of the Netherlands’ main military installations, raising concerns about the origin and purpose of these illegal flights. There have also been recent reports of similar activity near NATO’s command center in Branscombe, at Maastricht-Aachen Airport, and at Schiphol, reinforcing the alert on potential risks to European security.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @SHAPE_NAT | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
🚨Netherlands Defense Ministry confirms multiple drone sightings have forced the suspension of air traffic at Eindhoven Airport
On Friday, the Dutch Air Force fired on but failed to take down drones hovering over Volkel Air Base, home to USAF aircraft and U.S. nuclear weapons. pic.twitter.com/EgaJXSVtBi
— UAP James (@UAPJames) November 22, 2025
