MILAN and BELFAST — A host of international defense firms have expressed interest in securing new orders available under a just-launched €1.1 billion ($1.3 billion) Belgian tender for counter-drone systems, with Belgium’s defense minister taking meetings with US firms during a visit this week.
The lucrative effort, which comes in the wake of unidentified drone flights near Belgian military bases late last year, was formally approved by Brussels earlier this month, but saw the formal tender released on April 21. The tender would cover 10 years, with an option for two additional years.
In response to questions from Breaking Defense, a Ministry of Defense spokesperson said that Defense Minister Theo Francken met with BAE Systems and Shield AI while in the US this week. American firms Anduril, CACI and Sentry View Systems, as well as Sweden’s Saab and Germany’s Hensoldt, have all expressed interest in pitching their designs, per the spokesperson, who added that Brussels plans on advancing “on the matter urgently.” However, the spokesperson declined to share an exact timeframe for production contracts to be signed.
On Tuesday, Francken spoke directly about the tender during a discussion on transatlantic security developments organized by the Atlantic Council think tank.
“We need [more] counter-drone and drone systems, we bought small capabilities for €50 million, but we have a big €1 billion contract for more coming up, [as part] of an innovative project,” he said.
The €50 million initiative Francken mentioned was announced in December and involved the purchase of Saab-made surveillance radars and Australian drone guns, introduced after illegal drone activity was recorded over the Klein Brogel base, which reportedly houses US tactical nuclear weapons.
The newer, larger counter-drone package is envisioned to include brand-new, durable systems, as Francken noted that the country has no desire to invest in systems that sit on the shelf or “are unusable after two months” due to the rapid pace of development in drone technologies.
As detailed by the Belgian Ministry of Defence spokesperson, the tender will further combine both active and passive measures, including detection sensors and a command and control system to link all effectors.
According to an online translation from an announcement published by Francken’s office in March, covering approval of the project, the main “intention” is to forge partnerships across EU, NATO member states, and Ukraine, as well as Belgian firms “aiming to retain, at least in part, the intellectual property rights (IP) to future joint developments.”
It also notes “This partnership must provide for a wide range of militarily deployable systems: fixed installations for critical military and maritime infrastructure; semi-fixed modular systems that can be moved for extended periods; platform-based solutions for vehicles or ships; and lightweight, manportable systems for short-range tactical deployment.”
Last year, the Belgian government committed to buying 10 National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS) from Norway’s Kongsberg via a joint procurement with the Netherlands. The first of those systems is expected to arrive in the second half of 2027.