Belgium signs €2.8 million deal with Australia's DroneShield for anti-drone guns.

Belgium has signed a €2.8 million contract with DroneShield for handheld anti-drone jamming systems, as part of a wider €500 million national programme intended to improve detection, disruption, and interception capabilities across key civil and military sites.

As reported by the Brussels Times on December 10, 2025, Belgium has signed a €2.8 million contract with DroneShield for handheld anti-drone jamming systems, integrating the purchase into its €50 million short-term counter-drone initiative, and supporting a wider €500 million national programme intended to improve detection, disruption, and interception capabilities across key civil and military sites. The decision follows an increased rise in drone incursions affecting airports, military infrastructure, and critical facilities, prompting the rapid expansion of Belgium’s air defense purchases.
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DroneShield’s portfolio includes the DroneGun Mk4, which operates over a wide range of frequencies as well as Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) bands, allowing it to interfere with multiple drones simultaneously. (Picture source: DroneShield)

DroneShield’s handheld systems, often referred to as DroneGun models, include the DroneGun Tactical, a rifle-style jammer that weighs about 7.3 kg, including batteries, and offers an effective range generally quoted between 1 and 2 km, using wideband radiofrequency disruption against common control and video links as well as satellite navigation signals. The DroneGun MkIII is a lighter, handgun-style jammer, weighing around 2 kg with battery and providing an effective range of up to 500 m for visible line-of-sight engagements. Both products are designed to interfere with industrial, scientific, and medical bands used by many commercial drones, including 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz links, and can optionally target GNSS bands to affect autonomous navigation. By disrupting these channels, an anti-drone gun can trigger a drone to land, hover, or return to its starting point, depending on the platform and its programmed behaviour, which is useful in populated or sensitive environments where debris from destruction could pose risks.

The market for anti-drone guns and broader portable counter-UAS systems has expanded rapidly worldwide as drones have become more accessible and more commonly involved in security breaches. Forecasts indicate a sustained demand from governments responding to airport disruptions, energy infrastructure concerns, and major event protection requirements. One set of estimates places the global anti-drone market at around $4.5 billion in 2025, with projections of about $14.5 billion by 2030, corresponding to a compound annual growth rate close to 26.5 percent over this period. Separate figures for the drone detection segment indicate growth from roughly $858.6 million in 2025 to about $2.8 billion by 2030, with even higher rates expected through 2034 as detection networks become widespread. The sector is expanding due to the appeal of cost-effective handheld jammers that can be fielded rapidly and operated with limited training while still being integrated into larger surveillance networks.

DroneShield’s industrial model also played a role in Belgium’s choice, as the company produces on a stock basis instead of relying solely on build-to-order manufacturing. A spokesperson explained during a visit to its Sydney headquarters that maintaining inventory allows their products to be shipped quickly to customers at a time when many countries are competing to obtain counter-drone equipment. The firm employs about 400 people in Australia and has almost doubled in size over the past two years, reflecting rising worldwide demand for counter-UAS capabilities. In Europe, DroneShield has opened a centre of excellence and is examining the possibility of a production site in Belgium or the Netherlands under the European Commission’s ReArm Europe plan. An agreement with a European producer is expected in early 2026, to move part of the production to Europe to reduce transport costs and support local industrial participation in future orders.

Belgium’s decision to reduce existing gaps in detection, tracking, and neutralisation of aerial assets follows a marked increase in drone incursions that affected airports, military installations, and nuclear sites. In 2024, approximately 30,000 drone-related incidents were registered nationwide, although only a small number disrupted airport operations. In 2025, the situation escalated, with temporary closures at Brussels, Liège, Ostend, and Antwerp during a short period, and sightings of drones over Kleine Brogel air base, the Elsenborn training area, and the Doel nuclear power plant. Some episodes involved larger drones flying in formation at night, which authorities considered inconsistent with casual misuse. While no official attribution has been announced, officials have noted that the pattern resembles coordinated activity and have drawn attention to potential links to Russian interests and frozen Russian assets located at Euroclear in Brussels.

Parallel to the acquisition of portable jammer guns, Belgium is rapidly rebuilding a broader layered air defence and counter-UAS architecture. The urgent €50 million package includes the Latvian Origin Blaze interceptor drone, which uses an onboard warhead to neutralise hostile drones when jamming is insufficient. For medium-range protection, Belgium and the Netherlands are jointly procuring NASAMS equipped with AIM-120 and AMRAAM ER missiles guided by modern three-dimensional radars. At very short range, Belgian forces are receiving Polish Piorun man-portable air defence systems and Rheinmetall’s Skyranger 30 gun system for close-in defence against small drones. Together with the DroneShield systems, these assets are expected to give authorities tools for detection, electronic disruption, or physical interception depending on the characteristics of the incoming drone.

Belgium is also advancing legal and organisational reforms to integrate these new capabilities into a coherent national airspace security system. A National Airspace Security Centre is being established at Beauvechain, expected to be operational by January 1, 2026, to merge civil and military air pictures and coordinate responses to incursions. Cooperation with Skeydrone is being expanded so that detection networks around airports, energy facilities, prisons and police zones can be integrated with military sensors at bases and training areas. A permanent detection and counter-UAS testing centre has been inaugurated at DronePort Sint Truiden in partnership with SkeyDrone to assess systems and support operational procedures. Authorities are also examining measures to reinforce bans on unauthorised drone flights, strengthen registration enforcement and define engagement rules, while the Chief of Defence has authorised troops to act against unidentified drones when required and safe.

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.