Thales says drone incursions threaten safety as it expands rocket output.

Thales Belgium has reported a rise in drone flights over its Évegnée Fort facility near Liège in eastern Belgium, a site licensed to assemble and store explosives for its 70 mm rockets. The company has installed detection systems across its sites to monitor unmanned aircraft, but says it is legally barred from using jammers to disrupt control signals. It warns that even accidental crashes could cause damage or injuries.

The alerts come amid a broader uptick in unmanned aerial vehicle sightings across Europe, including in Poland, Romania, Germany, Norway and Denmark. Some drones over Poland and Romania have been identified as Russian, prompting heightened vigilance and, in Copenhagen, a temporary ban on drone flights. NATO has launched its Eastern Sentry programme to bolster air defences as allies grapple with low-cost threats that can probe critical infrastructure and military supply chains.

Against this backdrop, Thales Belgium plans to scale up production of its FZ275 rockets, aiming to double annual output to around 70,000 in the coming years, depending on demand. The company says orders have surged, with the majority of deliveries going to Ukraine and a spike in requests following the drone incursions into Poland. Major NATO customers include Germany, Italy, Spain and Poland.

Thales argues its rockets offer a cheaper counter to drones, addressing criticism that allies have been firing costly missiles at low-cost targets. The NATO-standard munitions have an 8-kilometre range, with laser-guided variants for high-altitude UAVs and unguided versions suited to swarms at low altitude. The company says its rockets are around four times cheaper than other market alternatives.

While the European Union cannot directly fund weapons, it is backing joint procurement schemes, including the €150 billion SAFE loans-for-weapons programme, which could shape how Europe equips itself against proliferating drone threats.