According to a November 19 report by Defense News, Belgium recently procured the "BLAZE" loitering munition (suicide drone) from Latvia. This drone is designed for counter-UAV operations and can detect and destroy enemy drones.
  Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken signed the procurement agreement in Riga, which involves an autonomous drone system from Latvia's APR (Applied Robotics) Company. The equipment is expected to be delivered within two weeks.
  This procurement is part of Belgium's €50 million (approximately $57 million) counter-drone program. However, the Belgian Ministry of Defense did not specify the share allocated to APR. It is reported that Belgium also plans to invest €500 million (approximately $579 million) to advance its next-generation counter-drone project, which includes new radar systems and enhanced jamming equipment. However, no timeline for the project's completion has been announced.
  The "BLAZE" is a portable counter-drone system capable of targeting high-speed drones and loitering munitions. It is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead and integrates radar guidance, electro-optical/infrared detection, and artificial intelligence recognition technologies. It can perform tasks such as target detection, identification, and locking, with operator confirmation required before engagement. The system features multiple safety designs, allowing mission termination during the terminal flight phase. If it deviates from the mission area, loses communication, or experiences a critical malfunction, it will automatically activate its self-destruct mechanism.
  The equipment is stored in a case that also serves as a launcher and charging unit. It can be assembled without tools in under 10 minutes and supports consecutive launches within minutes.

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Post time:Sep-25-2020