NISRF provided hangar facilities, local coordination and liaison support in close cooperation with Belgium and the Italian host nation. The support helped enable a complex remotely piloted aircraft deployment and underlined the role of established NATO facilities in strengthening Allied operational flexibility.
For Belgium, the deployment marked an important step in the development of its MQ-9B capability. Conducted under Operation Silent Spear, it included the first transfer flight of a Belgian MQ-9B from Florennes Air Base to Sigonella.
During the deployment, the aircraft and Belgian crews flew more than 400 hours in support of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian and Operation Noble Shield. Their missions provided maritime situational awareness for the Alliance while maintaining a high level of operational readiness.
“This deployment is an excellent example of what multinational cooperation within the Alliance looks like in practice,” said Brigadier General John B. Creel, Commander of NISRF. “By bringing together the expertise of Belgium, the support of our Italian Host Nation and the capabilities available at NISRF, we created the conditions for a successful deployment. That spirit of cooperation is one of NATO’s greatest strengths and something we are proud to contribute to every day.”
The Belgian MQ-9B activity came during one of the busiest recent operational periods for NISRF. At the same time, the Force conducted an Agile Combat Employment deployment to Norway and Finland in support of NATO’s Eastern Sentry activity and Exercise Ramstein Flag 2026.
NISRF said the parallel activities demonstrated the Force’s ability to manage multiple complex tasks for the Alliance. They also reflected its continued development as a mature multinational organisation supporting NATO intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
The deployment comes as NATO moves to expand its ISR capabilities. At the recent NATO Summit in Ankara, Allies announced the procurement of up to five MQ-4C Triton aircraft, which will complement the NATO-owned RQ-4D Phoenix fleet operated by NISRF.
The Belgian MQ-9B deployment and the planned Triton procurement both point to a broader evolution of Allied ISR capacity. NISRF said it will continue to evolve alongside the Alliance as NATO strengthens its ability to collect, process and share intelligence across operational theatres.
