A drone was spotted above the control tower of Gilze-Rijen air base around six o’clock on Wednesday evening. A spokesperson for the military police confirmed this on Thursday after reporting from De Volkskrant. Air traffic control spoke of ‘potential espionage’.
After the report from air traffic control, the military police arrived at the air base to investigate. “We looked to see if we could identify the drone or the driver of the drone, but they were already gone,” says a spokesperson.
‘No leads’
The investigation by the military police turned up nothing. “We have no clues about the drone or the driver,” he says. According to the spokesperson, it was a smaller drone that did not fly in ‘formation’. “For us it is one report of many.”
Gilze-Rijen is the helicopter air base of the air force. Here are Apache attack helicopters and the Chinooks and Cougars, both transport helicopters.
‘Could also be a hobbyist’s drone or weather balloon
The military police have no reason to think that the drone came from Russia or another country. “These are often larger drones that fly in formation and this is a more professional action,” the spokesperson explains. According to him, it could also be a hobbyist’s drone or a weather balloon.
The military police will not conduct an investigation into the drone or its driver after Wednesday, because they have no leads. “But we write all this down. And it is good that people are alert and report it if they see a drone,” he emphasizes.
Drones spotted before
A drone was also spotted above the air base a few weeks ago, the spokesperson said. It was seen by a citizen who informed the police. The military police who were called in later found nothing.
According to the spokesperson, this does not concern situations such as in Belgium. Drones have been seen more often near Belgian military institutions in the past week. The Belgian air surveillance center is being strengthened. In recent weeks, drones have been spotted at at least 23 European airports and air bases.
The Belgian authorities suspect Russia of being behind this. In the Netherlands, there is no question that another country is behind the drone incidents, says the military police.
More notifications expected
The drones in the Netherlands have not led to dangerous incidents or problems. However, a few weeks ago, Schiphol’s Polderbaan runway was shut down after a report that a drone had been spotted. Later it turned out to be a weather balloon.
The spokesperson expects that there will be more reports of this kind in the near future, partly because people are paying much more attention to them.