"Most likely, the colleagues from the "Military Police", who were reported to have an anti-drone system, will be able to detect the drone itself, but I don't believe they will be able to react more significantly". This was explained on NOVA by the president of the International Association for Combating Drones, Eng. Stayko Topalov, commenting on the question of what would happen if an unmanned aerial vehicle were to be lifted in the area of the Burgas refinery. He emphasized that in fact, anti-drone systems detect the presence of these aircraft.
"Anti-drone systems are most effective when built in several layers. According to information in the media, there is a modern anti-drone system with a team that operates it — this is a step forward compared to the previous state. There is no registered case of a downed drone in our country. But four days ago there was an exercise at which the "Military Police" demonstrated an anti-drone system and an effective downing of a drone. This shows that it is possible to purchase such systems", he is categorical. According to him, however, these technologies should not be disclosed in detail.
"Unfortunately not. We have been warning for years that the topic is extremely important. Drones are both useful and dangerous – they are already part of our everyday lives. More and more devices are autonomous and remotely controlled. But they can also be used for malicious actions," he answered when asked if there are effective anti-drone systems over our critical infrastructure such as the "Kozloduy" NPP and airports.
According to him, the anti-drone system should not only detect, but also neutralize – by jamming the connection, taking control of the drone or physically shooting it down. In our country, there are still no such complex systems. "An effective anti-drone system costs between 5 and 10 million euros. But the losses from one airport closure, for example, cover such an investment. Such a system covers a perimeter of 500 meters to several kilometers – depending on the configuration. They can also be mobile. The system, which is located in "Lukoil", according to the information, is mobile and is the first level – that is, only for detection," Topalov said.