site.btaBorder Police Director Identifies Drone's Entry into Sofia Airport Area as Deliberate Action

A drone sold by a licensed company, will not be able to make a flight over the airport because the area is a restricted zone, but the airport itself does not have an anti-drone system, said Border Police Director Anton Zlatanov on Bulgarian National Television's morning show on Tuesday commenting on the drone detected in the airspace around Sofia Airport on February 8. This suggests that the drone was manipulated and that it was a deliberate action, Zlatanov added.

He explained that an investigation is now underway and the state and services will take measures. The Border Police Director stressed that now is the time when measures should be taken not only for Sofia Airport, but for all airports and strategic sites. Border checkpoints must have anti-drone system and radar system, as well as Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant and other important structures. He added that drones were a future threat 15 years ago and are now a present threat.

„Various anti-drone systems exist around the world, we have developed a concept for the borders, we have started with the Bulgarian-Turkish border, a public procurement has been completed with a selected contractor, we are waiting for state funding,“ Zlatanov said and explained that this is the most challenging border in Europe, there are attempts of smuggling migrants and drugs. “They pick up their drones, enter our territory unhindered, see where our patrols are and where it is most convenient to carry out their criminal activities. We are currently countering their actions successfully, but it is imperative to have such a system there as well,” said the Border Police Director. 

“This is something the State committed to two years ago when it negotiated its Schengen entry. Last year in November this procedure was finalized, at the moment we are waiting for the promised funding to be granted in order to take action,” he said. Asked how much it costs, Zlatanov replied that for the Bulgarian-Turkish border, which is 271 km long, the whole system costs less than BGN 70 million. “At the moment we have to fight a digital danger with analogue means,” he said. 

Zlatanov said that video surveillance will also be provided on 100 km of the border, which has not been the case in the last ten years. A consortium of companies was selected last year with European funds, about BGN 140 million, to implement it, he added.