Shock: The Dutch scrambled fighter jets

The Ministry of Defence said the aircraft did not pose an immediate threat and left the area before the jets intervened.

According to the Dutch Ministry of Defence, the drone’s origin is still unknown. As reported by the Dutch public broadcaster NOS, the aircraft did not communicate with air traffic control via radio and had no active transponder.

The Ministry also stated that civilian air traffic was not endangered and that no flights were disrupted.

The deployment of F-35 jets was carried out under the Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) procedure, which is activated when an unidentified aircraft enters national airspace without prior notification.

Dutch F-35s on QRA duty are on standby 24 hours a day and can take off within minutes.

The Netherlands and Belgium alternate responsibility for guarding Benelux airspace, and the Netherlands resumed the duty in November. Several drone alerts have been reported in recent months.