Defense Minister Ludivine Dedonder visited the facilities of the Control & Reporting Center (CRC) in Beauvechain (Walloon Brabant) on Wednesday on this occasion. It is from this center that the Belgian sky, but also that of Luxembourg, is constantly analysed. The CRC accompanies, if necessary, also the interception missions (Quick Reaction Alert – QRA) in the event that an aircraft enters the controlled territory without authorization. These missions are part of the permanent surveillance of NATO airspace, for which each ally assumes responsibility. As part of the NATO summit on Thursday, the CRC is also specifically monitoring the progress of the summit.
To do this, around thirty air traffic controllers from the Belgian army scan the sky 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the control centre. In the event of a problem, a procedure is launched, which can go as far as the interception of the aircraft in question. As such, F-16s are ready to intervene at any time.
Ludivine Dedonder also took advantage of her visit to meet the various intervention teams that can be mobilized if necessary, on Belgian soil but also abroad. Among them, we found in particular the search rescue team for rescue at sea, a demining team, the Belgian navy, etc.
The Minister also attended an exercise simulating the rescue of a victim in a conflict zone. An A400, a new plane and replacement for the C-130, then landed, deploying vehicles and para-commandos on the ground to extract the victim.
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