Wilfried De Brouwer

Silhouette of a researcher
Researcher silhouette. Image: Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
MILITARY

Wilfried De Brouwer

Retired Major General, Belgian Air Force
Chief of Operations, Air Staff during the 1989‑1990 Belgian UFO wave

MILITARY

Wilfried De Brouwer is a retired Major General of the Belgian Air Force who served as Chief of Operations of the Air Staff during the 1989‑1990 Belgian UFO wave—one of the most well‑documented mass sightings of triangular unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) in modern history.

In late 1989 and early 1990, thousands of Belgian citizens reported seeing large, silent, low‑flying triangular craft equipped with bright lights. As the senior officer responsible for air‑defense operations, De Brouwer oversaw the official response, including the scrambling of F‑16 fighters to attempt visual and radar confirmation. He later stated that the objects exhibited flight characteristics beyond known human technology and that the Belgian military had no conventional explanation for the phenomena.

De Brouwer has since become an advocate for greater governmental transparency regarding UAP incidents. He has participated in multiple international conferences, including the 2013 Symposium on Official and Scientific Investigations of UAP, and appears in documentary films such as The Phenomenon (2020). His firsthand account of the Belgian wave remains a key reference for researchers studying military‑tracked UAP events.

SOURCE LOG
1Wikipedia contributors. "Belgian UFO wave." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed February 23 2026.
2De Brouwer, Wilfried. "Statement at the National Press Club." Washington, D.C., 2007. (Transcript available via UFO research archives.)
3"The Phenomenon" (documentary). Directed by James Fox, 2020. (Includes interview with Wilfried De Brouwer.)
Editorial Note: This profile draws on publicly available records of the Belgian UFO wave, De Brouwer’s own public statements, and his documented appearances in UAP‑related media. The summary reflects his military role during the incident and his subsequent advocacy for transparency.