Bulgaria will join a NATO initiative to combat drones

Bulgaria plans to submit an application by October 30 to participate in a NATO initiative aimed at countering low-altitude air threats, particularly drones. The country’s Defense Minister, Dimitar Stoyanov, made this announcement on Wednesday.

The statement by the head of the Bulgarian Defense Ministry came during a hearing in the Bulgarian parliament, which was initiated by a question from MP Hamid Hamid regarding the country’s participation in allied air defense and counter-drone programs.

Stoyanov emphasized that Bulgaria has not withdrawn from the Drone Edge initiative and is actively participating in it. The country has committed to allocating 80 million euros to purchase 20 systems—consisting of 10 mobile and 10 stationary units—through the SAFE mechanism. A memorandum with Spain regarding their joint procurement is expected to be signed in the near future.

“I never said that Bulgaria would withdraw from the Drone Edge initiative. We expect to sign a memorandum of understanding with Spain at any moment regarding the joint procurement of these systems,” Stoyanov noted.

He described Drone Edge as a virtual trading platform for potential future development and joint procurement of counter-UAV systems. The initiative also includes operator training, and Bulgaria has expressed its readiness to train its own personnel in 2027.

The head of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense distinguished the Drone Edge initiative from a separate NATO project to counter low-altitude air threats, which Bulgaria has not yet joined. Participation in the second initiative requires a mandatory annual contribution of 220,000 euros, although the decision on this depends on an assessment of the country’s financial capabilities.

“Nevertheless, the Ministry of Defense assesses that we can afford this amount and that Bulgaria will join the project very soon,” Stoyanov said.

He also added that the country will take the necessary steps by the end of October.

Stoyanov explained that Bulgaria did not join the initiative aimed at countering low-altitude threats in early 2025 because it was conducting an assessment of the costs and their impact on the state budget. He noted that the country plans to join the initiative by October 30.

This was reported by Novinite.

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