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Story & photos by NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force
SIGONELLA, Italy — Between April and July, the NATO Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Force supported the temporary deployment of a Belgian MQ-9B remotely piloted aircraft at Italian Air Force Base Sigonella.
The deployment highlighted another important aspect of the Force beyond its day-to-day mission. Through its established infrastructure, secure operating environment and multinational organisation, NISRF was able to facilitate the deployment by providing hangar facilities, local coordination and liaison support in close cooperation with Belgium and the Italian Host Nation.
This deployment is an excellent example of what multinational cooperation within the Alliance looks like in practice.
The deployment demonstrated how the infrastructure, partnerships and experience developed at NISRF can create opportunities to support wider Allied activities when required. It also reflected the value of close cooperation between NATO, Allies and the Italian Host Nation in enabling complex remotely piloted aircraft deployments.
For Belgium, the deployment also represented a significant milestone. Conducted under Operation Silent Spear, it included the first transfer flight of a Belgian MQ-9B from Florennes Air Base to Italian Air Force Base Sigonella. During the deployment, the MQ-9B and Belgian crews flew more than 400 hours in support of NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian and Operation Noble Shield, providing NATO with accurate maritime situational awareness 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 deployment took place during one of the busiest operational periods in the Force’s recent history. While facilitating the deployment in Sigonella, NISRF simultaneously conducted its Agile Combat Employment deployment to Norway and Finland, supporting NATO’s Eastern Sentry activity and Exercise Ramstein Flag 2026. Together, these activities demonstrate the continued development of NISRF as a mature multinational organisation capable of successfully delivering multiple complex tasks in support of the Alliance.
As NATO continues to strengthen its Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance capabilities, NISRF will continue to evolve alongside the Alliance. During 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. Together with examples such as the Belgian MQ-9B deployment, the announcement reflects the Force’s continued evolution as the Alliance expands its ISR capabilities.
