Belgium to arm Antwerp port with anti-aircraft guns

Belgium’s Prime Minister Bart De Wever said the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will get its own anti-aircraft defenses by next year, as the Belgian government moves to fortify one of Europe’s most critical trade gateways.

De Wever also confirmed that Belgium has ordered a separate anti-drone system after multiple drone sightings last year forced the temporary closure of Belgian airports and a military airbase, the Gazet van Antwerpen reported.

“An air-defense system is coming to the port of Antwerp. It’s a NASAMS type and has already been ordered,” De Wever said at the port, according to the Gazet report.

Belgium said last October that it had purchased NASAMS systems without disclosing where they would be deployed. De Wever had already pushed for air defenses at the Antwerp port in 2024, warning that “if you want peace, prepare for war.”

NASAMS — a Norwegian-American medium-range air-defense system — is built to intercept aircraft and drones, and is typically used to shield high-value infrastructure.

The Antwerp port, Europe’s second-largest, is a petrochemical powerhouse and a key NATO logistics hub, including for the flow of U.S. military equipment into Europe.

Drone incursions last year caused major disruptions in Belgium and other NATO countries, with drones spotted over the Port of Antwerp — including the BASF chemical site and the Europa terminal — as well as over nuclear facilities elsewhere in the country.

The move to boost defenses in Antwerp comes amid Belgium’s effort to strengthen ground-based air defenses after decades of underinvestment. NATO allies including Spain and the Netherlands have fielded NASAMS for years.

With Russia’s war in Ukraine having just entered its fifth year and transatlantic nerves fraying, EU capitals are increasingly preparing to protect critical infrastructure themselves rather than assuming Washington will step in.