Dutch military opens fire at drones over Volkel Air Base

AMSTERDAM — The Dutch military opened fire at drones over Volkel Air Base in the east of the country but no wreckage was recovered, the Ministry of Defense said Saturday.

Security staff at the base reported the drones between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, prompting the air force to fire ground-based weapons to take them down, the ministry said in a statement.

“The drones left the area and were not recovered,” the statement said.

In recent weeks, a series of incidents involving unidentified drone flights have been reported near military sites in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium.

Both the Dutch military and civilian police were investigating, according to the ministry, which said it was unclear why the drones were flying above and around the air base. No further details were provided, citing security reasons.

Volkel Air Base is used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

In the Netherlands, the use of drones near all airports is prohibited for flight safety reasons in addition to other security reasons around military facilities, the statement said.