Unidentified drones have been observed hovering over a military base used by NATO in the Netherlands, the Dutch defence ministry has said.
It said military personnel deployed weapons to try to take down the drones spotted near Volkel Air Base, north of Eindhoven, between 19:00 and 21:00 local time on Friday.
The defence ministry stated that the devices 'departed and were never recovered'.
The Netherlands is among a number of northern European nations experiencing drone sightings around military installations and airfields in recent months. Russia has denied accusations of involvement in previous incidents.
Dutch police are investigating the incident, but officials have refrained from providing further details for security reasons.
Volkel Air Base is used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force and also hosts a U.S. Air Force squadron as part of NATO.
Recent drone sightings have disrupted air traffic and raised security concerns across Europe, particularly in nations allied with Ukraine. A lack of evidence pointing to the origins of the drones complicates investigations, as many escape shortly after their appearance.
Some European officials have suggested that these sightings might be a tactic of 'hybrid warfare' by Russia. In response, ten EU countries have agreed to create a 'drone wall', while individual nations seek to bolster their anti-drone defenses.
