Russian drones target Thales Belgium missile factories supplying Ukraine – media

Thales Belgium, one of Europe’s largest air defense companies, is warning that drones are increasingly flying over its plants and is demanding clear rules for blocking or shooting them down, Politico reported on Wednesday.

"We are seeing more drones than we did a few months ago," said Alain Quevrin, the director of Thales Belgium.

He noted that the drones were spotted over the company’s Évegnée Fort facility in the eastern Liège region, the only facility in Belgium licensed to assemble and store explosives for 70mm missiles, which are mostly sent to Ukraine to combat Shahed strike drones.

"We are concerned about these developments," Quevrin said. Meanwhile, the company aims to double its production capacity for the FZ275 unguided and laser-guided missiles to 70,000 units over the next few years, provided there is clear demand.

French multinational Thales has made a huge effort to install detection systems at all its sites, Kevrin explained. The company said it could use jammers to block the signal needed to control drones and shoot them down. But the problem is that “we are not allowed to do that — legally,” he said. One of the concerns about shooting down drones is that they could cause damage or injury to people if they fall.

Countries like Belgium need to clearly define the "correct course of action" when such cases are detected, Quevrin said, including where the police’s authority ends and the companies’ authority begins.

As reported, Thales Belgium’s is ramping up production of air-explosion warheads for its 70mm rockets, which are already being used to combat drones in Ukraine. Thales is equipping its rockets with FZ123 warheads with a shrapnel charge that explodes within a radius of 25 meters. Thales Belgium plans to produce approximately 3,500 of these rockets by the end of the year and hopes to increase annual production to 10,000 units by 2026.