Romanian-Spanish drone maker Orbotix inaugurates factory near Brașov

Romanian-Spanish defense technology company Orbotix Industries announced on Tuesday, May 12, that it has inaugurated a new drone production factory in Ghimbav, Brașov County.

The new production unit is expected to reach a capacity of up to 800 drones per month, as operations mature and gradually expand over time.

Moreover, according to the information communicated, the company headquartered in Poland aims to grow output to 10,000 such aircraft annually with 40 employees. To reach that level of production, however, the company would need hundreds of millions of euros.

“Romania has the talent, capabilities, and long-term potential to play an important role in the European defense industrial ecosystem,” said Orbotix founder and CEO Bogdan Ochiană during the event. He recalled that generations of Romanian specialists built engines, systems, machines, and real industrial expertise in Brașov. “We are continuing this tradition, except that today the systems are autonomous, intelligent, and connected to a new technological and geopolitical era,” said Ochiană, cited by Economedia.

He added that there is currently a need for “coordination, execution, and the willingness to build together, so that Romania remains an essential pillar of the preparedness of NATO’s Eastern Flank.”

Orbotix Industries, which has 83% Romanian shareholding, intends to manufacture drones in Bucharest as well, in partnership with state-owned defense company Romaero.

“I would like Romania to become a drone-exporting country, and the objective is to sell in Southeast Asia, in America, and Latin America,” Bogdan Ochiană added.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine in 2022, drones have come to the forefront of modern-day warfare. Their importance was also proven in the US-Iran conflict, with the latter making heavy use of cheap drones to attack military installations in the Middle East region.

Founded in 2023 by Bogdan Ochiană (photo right) and partner Sebastian Straube (photo left), Orbotix aims to develop autonomous drones and avoid dependence on Chinese components. According to the founders, Orbotix platforms can solve “technological gaps in NATO military capabilities.”

(Photo source: Orbotixtech on Instagram)