The aerial surveillance of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by the Belgian Defense is on increased vigilance on the eve of the NATO summit on Thursday. Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder visited the facilities of the Control & Reporting Center (CRC) in Beauvechain (Walloon Brabant) on Wednesday on this occasion. It is from this center that the Belgian sky, but also that of Luxembourg, is constantly analysed.
The CRC accompanies, if necessary, also the interception missions (Quick Reaction Alert – QRA) in the event that an aircraft enters the controlled territory without authorization. These missions are part of the permanent surveillance of NATO airspace, for which each ally assumes responsibility. As part of the NATO summit on Thursday, the CRC is also specifically monitoring the progress of the summit. To do this, around thirty air traffic controllers from the Belgian army scan the sky 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the control centre. In the event of a problem, a procedure is launched, which can go as far as the interception of the aircraft in question.
It is normal to raise the alert level
As such, F-16s are ready to intervene at any time. “The control center ensures air safety at all times, but vigilance is increased in the context of the NATO summit this Thursday. By hosting NATO’s headquarters, it is Belgium’s responsibility to ensure this shield”, underlined the minister. “The summit takes place in a particular context, and it is normal to raise the alert level“, she added.
For Lieutenant-General Marc Thys, if the holding of a NATO summit in Belgium is obviously not new, the presence of American President Joe Biden, all the same brings a “extra chili”. “The world has also changed since February 24 with the conflict in Ukraine. The situation there does not have much of an impact on our role in Belgium but it has the consequence of seeing the summits multiply”he specified.
Ludivine Dedonder also took advantage of her visit to meet the various intervention teams that can be mobilized if necessary, on Belgian soil but also abroad. Among them, we found in particular the search rescue team for rescue at sea, a demining team, the Belgian navy, etc. The Minister also attended an exercise simulating the rescue of a victim in a conflict zone. An A400, a new plane and replacement for the C-130, then landed, deploying vehicles and para-commandos on the ground to extract the victim.