Bulgaria expects to officially join NATO’s counter-drone initiative by 30 October.
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said this, BGNES reported.
The head of the defence ministry stressed that Bulgaria is actively participating in the Drone Edge project. The country has already allocated €80 million to purchase 20 counter-drone systems — 10 mobile and 10 stationary — under the SAFE mechanism. In addition, Bulgaria plans to sign a memorandum with Spain on joint procurement and is preparing to train its own operators in 2027.
At the same time, Stoyanov drew a distinction between Drone Edge and a separate project to protect against low-flying aerial threats, which the country has not yet joined. Participation requires an annual contribution of €220,000. According to the minister, the country previously assessed its financial capacity, but the defence ministry now considers the sum entirely acceptable for the budget and is preparing to join the project in the near term.
Prime Minister Rumen Radev also joined the discussion, urging people not to confuse these programmes with the “FREYJA” ballistic missile defence project. After Poland joined, ten countries are now participating, but the final parameters and the resources required for each participant have yet to be fully determined.
- On the night of Tuesday 13 October, drones attacked two vessels off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast, causing one of them to sink.
- These strikes were the second drone attack in a week on merchant vessels near Bulgarian waters. On 6 October, two ships were hit about 130–150 km east of the town of Byala. The Alfa Watan sank. And on board the ABLE, a fire broke out after the attack; all 18 crew members were evacuated.
- The head of the Bulgarian government asked the EU and NATO for technical assistance to identify those involved in the 6 October attacks. The authorities were unable to find drone debris that would have made it possible to determine their origin.