On the evenings of November 22 and 23, 2025, the skies above the Netherlands saw a dramatic escalation in a growing European security dilemma: unidentified drones were spotted—and fired upon—over some of the country’s most sensitive military and civilian infrastructure. The incidents, centered on Volkel Air Base and Eindhoven Airport, have left authorities, security experts, and the public alike asking urgent questions about the safety of critical sites, the origins and intent of these mysterious aircraft, and the readiness of Europe’s counter-drone defenses.
According to the Dutch Ministry of Defense, the first major incident unfolded between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, November 22, when security personnel at Volkel Air Base, a key Royal Netherlands Air Force installation near the German border, detected multiple drones in restricted airspace. The response was swift and serious: air force staff deployed ground-based weapons in an attempt to bring down the drones. Yet, as reported by Reuters and confirmed in a ministry statement, "the drones left the area and were not recovered." No wreckage was found, and the aircraft escaped without a trace.
The following evening, the pattern repeated itself. Soldiers at Volkel once again spotted drones overhead and fired shots from the ground. Just hours earlier, Eindhoven Airport—also serving as a military base—had experienced its own drone incursion, prompting a temporary suspension of all civilian and military flights. Six inbound flights were rerouted to other European cities, and two departing flights remained grounded, with passengers kept on board at Ryanair’s request. Security staff escorted travelers from the terminal after midnight, braving freezing temperatures as authorities responded to the unfolding situation.
State Secretary for Defense Gijs Tuinman, speaking on national television, confirmed that authorities "detected them and ultimately deployed means to, essentially, chase them away" at both Volkel and Eindhoven. He declined to specify the number of drones or the precise methods used, and the origin of the aircraft remains unknown. Tuinman issued a stark warning: "Anyone caught flying a drone in these areas is breaking the law and could spend some time in jail."
The Dutch Ministry of Defense, for its part, has remained tight-lipped about the technical details. For security reasons, officials have refused to disclose the types of weapons or detection systems used, or to speculate on how the drones managed to evade capture. "It is currently unclear why the drones were flying over or near the air base. For security reasons, the Ministry of Defense does not disclose how the drones were detected or what means were used to counter them," the ministry explained in a statement. Both the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee (the country’s military police) and civilian police have launched investigations into the incidents, but as of yet, no suspects have been identified and no drones recovered.
These events are not isolated. In recent weeks, a series of similar incidents have been reported across the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium. Earlier in November, three "large" unidentified drones were spotted over Belgium’s Kleine Brogel Air Base, a site known to store U.S. B61 nuclear bombs—just like Volkel. That incident prompted the Belgian armed forces to order the immediate shoot-down of any unidentified drones over military installations, with German military units deployed to assist. The NL Times reported that the Volkel incident followed another large-scale event earlier in the week, when between 12 and 20 drones were observed over the port of Terneuzen and the Dow chemical plant, both classified as no-fly zones due to their critical infrastructure status. Police are still investigating, with no arrests made.
Volkel Air Base itself is one of three main operational bases of the Royal Netherlands Air Force and hosts the 313th Squadron, which flies F-35 fighter jets. As of 2023, it is also one of six active air bases across five European countries that store U.S. B61 nuclear bombs, underscoring its strategic importance. Eindhoven Airport, meanwhile, houses Hercules transport aircraft and A330 refueling planes, playing a dual role in both civilian and military aviation.
The regulatory framework in the Netherlands is clear: drone operations near airports and military facilities are strictly prohibited for reasons of flight safety and national security. Yet, as these recent events highlight, the rules are proving difficult to enforce against sophisticated or determined actors. The Dutch military’s immediate weapons deployment signals a high level of concern, but the fact that the drones repeatedly escaped—despite gunfire and other countermeasures—raises troubling questions about the technical capabilities of these aircraft and the effectiveness of current defenses.
Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans, speaking via social media platform X from Halifax, Canada, sought to reassure the public that "drone defense systems had been activated and that a comprehensive investigation was underway." State Secretary Tuinman emphasized that the ministry had established an operational headquarters to coordinate the response, working "day and night" to address the threat.
The incidents at Volkel and Eindhoven are part of a broader pattern of escalating drone activity over critical infrastructure across Europe. In Germany, lawmakers are considering draft legislation that would allow the Bundeswehr to engage in drone defense, including the use of weapons if necessary. Austria’s National Council has recently voted unanimously to develop and implement a national drone protection strategy. These moves reflect a growing recognition that drone incursions—whether for surveillance, sabotage, or mere mischief—pose a serious challenge to both military and civilian authorities.
Security experts and industry observers are watching the situation closely. As DroneXL commented, "The Dutch military didn’t just detect and track these drones – they actively engaged them with weapons and still came up empty-handed. That’s not a good look for NATO’s counter-drone capabilities." The pattern of mysterious drone incursions over European military facilities mirrors similar incidents at U.S. Air Force bases, raising uncomfortable questions about the possibility of coordinated intelligence-gathering operations designed to test NATO’s response.
The lack of concrete information—no drone types identified, no operators caught, no wreckage recovered—has fueled speculation and concern. Are these simply hobbyist violations, or is something more sinister at play? The inability to answer these questions, despite the deployment of advanced defenses, points to a significant information gap that European authorities are struggling to close.
For civilian drone operators, the incidents are likely to bring stricter airspace restrictions and more aggressive enforcement near sensitive sites. Regulators face the challenge of distinguishing between legitimate security threats and overreactions that could punish responsible pilots for the actions of a few bad actors.
As the investigations continue and Europe’s defenses evolve, one thing is certain: the era of the drone incursion has arrived, and the continent’s security agencies are scrambling to keep up.