At Inter Drone Expo 2026, PM Highlights Unmanned Systems' Increasing Importance across All Sectors

Nikoleta Vasileva

Prime Minister Rumen Radev аddressеes the opening of Inter Drone Expo 2026 in Sofia, October 6, 2026 (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

Sofia,

06.10.2026 14:34

(BTA)

Addressing the opening of Inter Drone Expo 2026 in Sofia Tuesday, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that unmanned systems are increasingly being used across a wide range of sectors, from agriculture and medicine to industry, logistics and defence, highlighting the rapid development of the technology in Bulgaria and worldwide. "We will increasingly see unmanned systems used across all areas – where people cannot reach, where an area is risky, where exceptional precision, efficiency and effectiveness are required, or where there are not enough people," Radev said.

He explained that the reason he was late for the opening of the exhibition because of a drone attack on two merchant vessels in the Bulgarian exclusive economic zone in the small hours on Tuesday.

Drones will also be involved in the large-scale rescue operation, alongside aircraft, helicopters and fast boats, the Prime Minister said.

Radev noted that the incident demonstrated the importance of unmanned systems both in everyday life and in relations between states. "We are no longer talking simply about some activities. We are talking about the fact that a modern war can no longer be waged without such systems," the Prime Minister said.

According to him, in the war in Ukraine, unmanned systems "draw the line between defeat and victory", while they can also be relied on to help achieve peace.

The Prime Minister recalled that two years ago, at his initiative and under his patronage, the Bulgarian Armed Forces held the first drone competition. He described the development at the time as "a difficult, arduous first step", but noted that progress had been enormous in just two years.

"We now have first-person-view (FPV) drones being produced in Bulgaria, while Bulgarian Armed Forces operators are skilled in using these systems, as well as reconnaissance systems and kamikaze drones," the Prime Minister said.

According to him, the question facing everyone is how high-tech achievements can be used for the benefit of humanity and how better means of protection can be developed against these same systems when they are used with destructive intent.

"The responsibility on all of us to develop such high-tech systems together is enormous," he said. The Prime Minister expressed pride that technologies in the field of unmanned systems are being developed in Bulgaria. He stressed the role of representatives of science, business, state institutions and local authorities in developing the sector.

According to him, many of the systems presented at the exhibition are not prototypes but are already in use. He noted that Bulgarian-developed systems are in service with the Bulgarian Armed Forces and are being used in various sectors of the economy.

"This gives us confidence that Bulgaria is putting itself on the world map in the field of high technologies and unmanned systems," the Prime Minister said.

In his view, the future lies in integrating the potential of science, government and business, as well as in cooperation with leading companies and countries.

The Prime Minister noted that if decades ago a country's potential was measured by the level and size of its industry and financial resources, today it is measured by science, high technologies and the people who have the capacity, abilities and knowledge to develop this field.

He wished the exhibition and its developers, manufacturers and research units success, expressing hope that their projects and developments would be brought into practical use more quickly. According to him, unmanned systems and artificial intelligence are among the most dynamic fields on which the future depends.

/NF/