Bucharest, June 7, 2026 – RBJ – The events that happened in the last month, caused by the explosions of Ukrainian aerial or naval drones, determine the question in the title of this article. The answer is clear: due to convenience and lack of interest.
In more detail, here is the situation in this sector, which is so current in the context of armaments in Europe.
Official version. The Ministry of National Defense (MApN) does not widely use drones produced by Romanian companies and start-ups due to strict legislative barriers, the lack of testing in real war conditions and the preference for direct purchases from certified external partners. Although local industry is developing promising prototypes, the Romanian Army is faced with a rigid system that blocks small manufacturers’ access to equipment contracts.
Why Romanian companies are blocked
Government-to-government procurement: The Ministry of Defense prefers to buy military equipment directly from foreign governments or large international concerns (such as the US or Germany). This process eliminates public tenders in which Romanian start-ups could participate.
Very strict NATO standards: military drones need special safety certifications, jam-resistant encrypted communications, and compatibility with NATO systems.
Small Romanian companies do not have the money to pay for these expensive certifications.
Lack of battlefield testing: the army looks for drones that have already proven their effectiveness in real conflicts. Local start-ups have products tested only in polygons or under peacetime conditions.
Low production capacity: the army needs hundreds or thousands of devices delivered quickly. Romanian companies are often small and do not have large factories for mass production.
Rigid peacetime laws: current legislation does not allow the Army to quickly buy prototypes or experimental software to develop them together with local companies, as Ukraine does.
The only conclusion without appeal: the Ministry of National Defense shows no interest in encouraging local innovation and national production.
What measures are currently being discussedTesting in real operations: the Minister of Defense invited Romanian manufacturers to send their drones on complex missions and exercises before signing contracts, in order to find solutions directly “in the field”.
The need for its own software: officials recognize that Romania must develop its own national software for drones and enter the area of co-production with local companies. Recent acquisitions: although Romanian companies accuse of being left out, the MApN has recently purchased foreign drones, such as those from Quantum Systems, but promises to also integrate local technologies as the companies demonstrate their usefulness.
In Romania, there are several companies and start-ups that produce drones or develop advanced technologies for them, some of which are already collaborating with state-owned industry. The best-known names in the market are:
>>>BlueSpace Technology: It is one of the most advanced Romanian defense companies. It has production facilities in several localities and has developed Romanian drones, as well as complex anti-drone systems (jamming systems).
>>> Carfil S.A. (part of Romarm): The state-owned defense industry company created the “Romanian Drone” project. They signed a strategic partnership with the Americans from Periscope Aviation to manufacture industrial and military drones intended for surveillance and attack missions.
Start-ups with cutting-edge technology:
>>>Orbotix Industries: A start-up founded by a Romanian entrepreneur, which opened a modern factory in Ghimbav (Brașov). The company develops artificial intelligence-based technologies for “drone swarms” (devices that communicate with each other without human intervention).
>>> Qognifly: A startup building a factory in Bucharest. They have designed a special “anti-Shahed” drone, designed to hunt and destroy large attack drones, with a planned production capacity of thousands of units per month.
>>> BraveX Aero: A Cluj-Napoca-based startup focused on developing industrial drones, with big plans for expansion in the coming years.
>>> OVES Enterprise: A Romanian software company that has expanded strongly into the defense sector, creating AI solutions and tactical operating systems for military drones.\
Types of Romanian drones
In Romania, advanced drone models are currently being developed and tested, covering three major tactical categories: attack drones with thermobaric ammunition, compact surveillance drones and economical interceptor drones (anti-Shahed). Most of them come from the national project “Drona Românească”, developed at the state-owned plant S. Carfil S.A. Brașov (Romarm subsidiary) in partnership with the Americans from Periscope Aviation, but also from innovative private companies.
The main types of existing Romanian drones:
1. Attack and logistic transport drone Sirin: it is a large drone developed at Carfil Brașov. It can carry a load of up to 15 kilograms, flies at an altitude of 5,000 meters and has an autonomy of 36 minutes. It can be equipped with solid thermobaric bombs (a first designed to destroy bunkers) or can deliver supplies and ammunition to the front line.
Hydra: Another locally developed kamikaze/attack drone model, designed specifically for precision strikes.
2. Tactical Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Drones
Cuda: is an ultra-compact tactical drone, very easy to launch by soldiers on the frontline. It has a high-performance 4K video camera, fully encrypted communications and advanced protection systems against Russian jamming.
Kraken (eVTOL): A Romanian drone with vertical take-off and landing (hybrid airplane-helicopter system). It is fully autonomous and designed for long-duration flights over long distances to gather information.
Stingray: A special model of maritime tactical drone. It is built to withstand extreme weather conditions (strong wind, humidity, storms) to monitor the Black Sea coast.
3. Interceptor Drones (Anti-Shahed) The BlueSpace Interceptor. Developed by the BlueSpace Technology company, this model is an extremely cheap drone (costing around 400-500 euros) integrated with its own radar. Its role is to autonomously take off, hunt and strike large enemy attack drones in the air.
Qognifly drone: A Romanian fixed-wing drone (similar in design to the famous Shahed aircraft), with electric or thermal engines, capable of reaching speeds of over 250 km/h. It costs only a few thousand euros and is optimized for rapid mass production (thousands of units per month) to counter massive air attacks.
