Britain is providing military support to Belgium after a series of drone incursions into its airspace, Chief of Defence Staff Richard Knighton has said.
He told the BBC that his Belgian counterpart requested help earlier this week and that equipment and personnel were on their way.
Knighton said it was not known for certain whether the incursions had been ordered by Russia, but added that it was “likely” that Moscow had ordered them.
The BBC has learned that members of the Royal Air Force’s 2nd Force Defence Wing are likely to be deployed.
Along with NATO allies, Knighton noted, Britain will help Belgium by “providing its equipment and capabilities”. Germany’s defence ministry said on Friday it would also support Belgium in measures against drones following a request from Brussels.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Belgian security services have said they suspect Russia of an invasion, but Belgian Defence Minister Theo Franken earlier admitted there was no evidence of this.
“Initially, drones flying over our military bases were considered our problem. Now it has become a serious threat that affects civilian infrastructure in many European countries,” Franken said earlier this week.
Flights were halted at the main airport in the Belgian capital Brussels on the evening of 4 November after a suspected drone sighting. Then aircraft were also halted as a precautionary measure at Charleroi, the second largest airport.
Around 3,000 Brussels Airlines passengers were affected by the disruptions on Thursday, with the carrier saying it faced “significant costs” due to dozens of flights being cancelled or diverted.
Elsewhere in the EU, airports are also regularly forced to halt operations due to unknown drones. Such incidents have been recorded in Belgium, Norway, Denmark and France in recent weeks.
Russia denies accusations of waging “hybrid warfare” against European countries.