Weapons were deployed against drones spotted above an air force base within the Netherlands, where Nato recently held its nuclear deterrence drills.
The incident happened over Volkel Air Base, within the southeastern province of Noord Brabant, near the border with Germany, between 7pm and 9pm on Friday.
Security staff attempted to shoot down the aircraft, but they departed and were never recovered, the Dutch ministry of defence said.
A press release from the ministry said the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee and the police were notified, adding: ‘They’re conducting an extra investigation. It’s currently unclear why the drones were flying above and across the air bases.
‘For security reasons, the Ministry of Defence will not be providing further details about how the drones were sighted or what motion was taken.’
Authorities said it was unclear why the drones flew in areas where they usually are not allowed to.
The Volkel Air Base is one in all several military airfields within the Netherlands, and one in all the three major operational bases of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF).
It’s home to 2 F-35 squadrons and in addition hosts a US Air Force 703rd Munitions Support Squadron.
The bottom monitors and intercepts unidentified aircraft, often coordinated with Belgium and Luxembourg.
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