19.08.2026
Prime Minister Rumen Radev discussed the improvement of Bulgaria’s defense capability to detect and counter drones with staff members of the company Axon. The meeting that was held in the Government Headquarters was attended by Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev and Justice Minister Nikolay Naydenov.
The improvement of the capability to counter drones is intended to upgrade the national defense system and to modernize it, which is of utmost importance in the volatile security environment. The incursion of a decoy drone which crossed Bulgaria’s northern border some weeks ago and about which it appeared that it was not detected by either Romania or by the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) in Torrejón, Spain, necessitates prompt action by the Government so that citizens are defended should such an incident occur.
Bulgaria and Axon are already partners in the security sector and the high efficiency of the body-worn cameras and the energy weapons that the Bulgarian policemen are equipped with was recognized in the course of the discussion. Cooperation is supported likewise by the first innovation center in Bulgaria for training and implementation of modern technologies in the field of internal security: this is the AXON Lab Bulgaria that opened with the Academy of the Ministry of Interior last year and has been operating since then. The meeting considered the opportunities to upgrade the laboratory with the completion of the construction of training premises on the Academy campus.
The discussion touched on the possibilities for the establishment of a center of excellence in the field of security and defense as an excellent prospect for the pulling of experts, their career development and the provision of opportunities to stay to work in Bulgaria.
