Romania initiates integrated drone development program

Romania has initiated its first integrated drone development program through a collaboration protocol signed on November 5 by the minister of economy, entrepreneurship, and tourism, Ștefan-Radu Oprea, and the minister of research, innovation, and digitization, Bogdan-Gruia Ivan.

This agreement aims to foster scientific research and technological advancements in aerospace, specifically for creating a Romanian-manufactured drone.

Minister Bogdan-Gruia Ivan highlighted that the protocol marks a significant advancement in Romania's aerospace research, while minister Ștefan-Radu Oprea noted that the drone prototype could eventually be manufactured in both state-owned and private defence industry factories across Romania, G4media.ro reported.

The project will primarily focus on developing a "Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) Category Unmanned Aerial Capability" for dual-use applications. This includes building at least two UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and establishing the ground infrastructure for their control, technical support, and IT operations.

Another focus area will be the development of autonomous aerial systems through the "Conversion of classic ammunition into loitering ammunition." This involves designing both fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAV systems, along with the necessary launch and control mechanisms to support autonomous operation.

(Photo source: Facebook/Bogdan Ivan)