Two warplanes took off from a military base in a NATO country on Sunday after an unidentified aircraft entered its airspace. Two Royal Netherlands Air Force fighter jets hastily took off from the Volkel military base on Sunday.
The Ministry of Defense sounded the Quick Reaction Alert which occurs when an aircraft enters an airspace without identifying itself. QRAs occur several times a year. "We alternate these activities with Belgium and cover the entire Benelux region", said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense.
It is currently unclear why the aircraft was in Dutch airspace.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense believe it may have been a drone "but not one you'd buy at MediaMarkt".
It might also have been a passenger aircraft that briefly lost communication with the ground, or possibly another unmanned vehicle.
