Dutch Defense Takes Action Against Unauthorized Drones at Volkel

“_It thundered so much that it rained_”; the possibility of armed intervention to respond to unauthorized drones flying over military areas and sensitive sites in Europe has finally become a reality.

The drone threat in Europe and beyond (similar events have also occurred in Canada and the United States) has become increasingly strong with authorities fearing the need to intervene with military force to curtail the phenomenon.

Indeed, a case of armed intervention was observed last Friday when unauthorized drone flights over the Volkel air base were reported in the Netherlands.

Upon immediate identification of the drones, countermeasures were triggered by surveillance staff who used ground weapons to shoot them down. According to the Amsterdam Defense Ministry, the targeted drones escaped and were not found.

Of course, an investigation has been opened to understand the reasons for the overflight, reconstruct the dynamics, and trace back to those who organized the action.

It is not very difficult to trace the reason for the drones’ overflight of the Volkel air base, because the 312 and 313 squadrons of the Royal Dutch Air Force equipped with Lockheed Martin F-35A fighter-bombers operate on that site. Clearly, whoever was remotely controlling the drones wanted to gather information about the number and activities of the Lightning II present.

In neighboring France, an unauthorized drone flight was also recorded over the base that hosts the nuclear ballistic missile submarines of the National Navy; similar events have occurred in the United Kingdom.

The issue is becoming dangerous, and several governments have decided not to remain inert in face of this threat, implementing the necessary countermeasures.

Source and photo credit @Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands