MILAN — Belgium has embarked on a major acquisition push to accelerate the procurement of counter-drone systems, including surveillance radars and drone guns.

The ramp-up is part of the country’s €50 million ($59 million) anti-drone plan following a recent surge in illegal drone overflights near or above airports, military bases, and nuclear-weapons storage sites.

Belgian defense minister Theo Francken announced two contracts this week: one for Saab’s Giraffe 1X surveillance radar and one for portable drone jammers from Australian manufacturer DroneShield.

An undisclosed amount of the Swedish-made Giraffe 1X radar was purchased as part of a contract valued at €9.2 million. The system operates by tracking aerial targets and feeding target data to air-defense systems.

According to the co

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