(MENAFN) Belgium has greenlit a controversial proposal to equip its SkyGuardian drones with lethal capabilities, concluding a six-year deadlock since the unmanned aircraft were initially procured.

A news agency reported Wednesday that the decision resolves prolonged disagreement over drone armament amid escalating security threats.

Belgium acquired the SkyGuardian platform in 2019, yet despite the aircraft's weapons-ready design, the former coalition administration headed by Alexander De Croo rejected militarization.

Progressive political factions cited moral objections, overruling military general staff recommendations that no legal or ethical differentiation exists between weaponized drones and deploying F-16 combat aircraft.

Throughout their operational history, the drones have performed exclusively intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance functions, despite possessing precision-strike capabilities engineered to reduce unintended casualties. Armed unmanned systems have been standard equipment in contemporary warfare for decades.

The incoming 'Arizona' coalition government under Bart De Wever backed a proposal by legislator Peter Buysrogge earlier this year advocating for drone weaponization.

"It is crucial that the Ministry of Defense keeps pace with technological developments and does not fall behind. I am therefore pleased that common sense has finally prevailed," Buysrogge said.

Official procurement documentation was submitted Wednesday.

"Hostile actors, including the Iranian regime, are already using drones to target civilians on European soil. We must defend ourselves and make full use of our technological capabilities," Buysrogge argued.

He emphasized human oversight would remain fundamental to operational deployment.

"These are not autonomous killing machines. They are operated by trained professionals and are primarily intended to support our troops and protect civilians."

Notwithstanding the authorization, government officials reiterated in August that the drones would maintain their current intelligence-only role for the immediate future.

Civil liberties organizations have raised privacy alarms, cautioning that because the drones can conduct surveillance operations within Belgian airspace, they could theoretically be deployed to observe private citizens.

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