Belgian army leadership believes that F-16 planes are in poor condition and cannot be sent to Ukraine, Lieutenant Frédéric Goetynck told De Standaard on Monday.“It’s not that we don’t want to, but when our planes are retired, they’re worn out. These planes will already have flown so many hours that their structure is simply worn out”, said Goetynck. “You can’t send planes to Ukraine that you wouldn’t use yourself”, he added.Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo had already indicated in February that Brussels would not be supplying combat aircraft to Ukraine, and this was confirmed in May by Belgian Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder.While De Croo stressed the necessity of these aircraft for the national army and NATO, Dedonder said that the country could not send its F-16s to Ukraine because they were “at the end of their life cycle”, even if the US gave the green light for delivery.“Belgium has already sent automatic weapons, Lynx armoured vehicles and more than 200 Volvo trucks to Ukraine, as well as ammunition, fuel and medical equipment,” Goetynck said. In addition to the military aid, Belgium approved its latest support package for Ukraine in June, adding €24 million to the €61.5 million Belgium earmarked for aid last year.However, despite these announcements, Belgium continues to lag in terms of total military spending, in particular when measured against the NATO spending target of 2% of GDP.While Belgium has reached 1.18% of its GDP in terms of defence spending in 2022, a recent document published by NATO indicates that this figure will be 1.13% of GDP or more than €6.5 billion this year. This puts Belgium in penultimate place, behind Spain (1.26%) but ahead of Luxembourg (0.72%).At the Madrid NATO summit in July, De Croo reaffirmed his intentions to increase defence spending to 2% of GDP by 2035, following a “realistic” path through 1.54% by 2030.(Nina Chabot | EURACTIV.com)
While many NATO member states have duly answered Ukraine's call to supply it with heavy weaponry, for other countries President Zelensky's plight has offered a stark realisation what decades of defence cuts have come to. For no country is this true more than for Belgium, which in March 2022 had to come to the painful conclusion that it had no heavy weaponry to send from its own stocks. This staggering feat is the result of years of chronic underfunding that had eroded the Belgian Army to the point it could not even pay to operate man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) any longer, leaving an entire army without any form of ground-based air defences. Although Belgium has since announced additional investments into its military, it will take years for these investments to actually have effect.Belgium's free-riding approach to the security of other NATO member states and of itself is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that in 2014 Belgian Prime Minister Di Rupo declared his country's intention to commit 2% of its GDP to defence spending by 2024, only for Prime Minister De Croo to do the same in 2022, but with the date to achieve this pushed back by eleven years to 2035. [1] Even after rising slightly in recent years, Belgium's budget remains one of the lowest in NATO, just barely cresting 1% of GDP for the first time in years in 2020 and 2021. [2] An early conclusion to the Russo-Ukrainian War, though unfortunately unlikely to occur at this point in time, would likely serve as the perfect excuse for a future Belgian government to keep the country's defence budget well below 2% of its GDP.[continua]
The Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Belgium has made a significant advancement in air security by introducing the Benelli M4 Super 90, a shotgun specifically adapted for countering unauthorized drones. The announcement was made on November 17, 2023, via the base's Facebook page, highlighting the growing importance of countering emerging aerial threats.Nine qualified instructors have begun training the base's protection teams in the handling of the Benelli M4. This initiative aims to strengthen defense capabilities against unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an increasingly concerning security challenge for military installations.The Benelli M4 Super 90, an Italian semi-automatic close-combat shotgun, is renowned for its reliability in extreme conditions, including sand, mud, and dust. Its gas-operated mechanism, combined with the option for manual operation, makes it ideal for use against drones, offering increased versatility and efficiency.[continua]
Ainda à pouco tempo se andava a fazer pouco do Exército (Português) andar a usar caçadeiras para proteger contra drones e olhem o que os belgas foram fazer:Belgian Air Force adopts Italian Benelli M4 shotgun as counter-UAS solution(27 de Novembro de 2023)Citação de: Army RecognitionThe Kleine-Brogel Air Base in Belgium has made a significant advancement in air security by introducing the Benelli M4 Super 90, a shotgun specifically adapted for countering unauthorized drones. The announcement was made on November 17, 2023, via the base's Facebook page, highlighting the growing importance of countering emerging aerial threats.Nine qualified instructors have begun training the base's protection teams in the handling of the Benelli M4. This initiative aims to strengthen defense capabilities against unmanned aerial systems (UAS), an increasingly concerning security challenge for military installations.The Benelli M4 Super 90, an Italian semi-automatic close-combat shotgun, is renowned for its reliability in extreme conditions, including sand, mud, and dust. Its gas-operated mechanism, combined with the option for manual operation, makes it ideal for use against drones, offering increased versatility and efficiency.[continua]Fonte: https://www.armyrecognition.com/defense_news_november_2023_global_security_army_industry/belgian_air_force_adopts_italian_benelli_m4_shotgun_as_counter-uas_solution.html Cumprimentos,
