The Bulgarian defense industry has increased its exports many times over since the start of the war in Ukraine, and its production reached the front through third countries. This was stated in the “Interview in NOVA News“ by the former deputy defense minister and chairman of the Sofia Security Forum Yordan Bozhilov. According to him, exports have grown from about 700 million dollars to over 2.2 billion dollars annually, but the biggest challenge facing the sector is yet to come – transition to production according to NATO standards.
Yordan Bozhilov's comment came after the visit of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Bulgaria, during which support for plans for new production of shells and gunpowder was discussed.
The war in Ukraine, of course, created the need for more support for Ukraine, especially ammunition. Bulgaria had this opportunity to produce the necessary shells, which did not directly, but through other countries and companies, reach Ukraine“, Bozhilov explained.
He emphasized that the Bulgarian defense industry is well developed and known for its quality products. The growth in production has led to a huge jump in exports. “Before the war, Bulgaria's exports were between 600 and 700 million dollars per year. "In 2023 and 2024, we have sustainable growth and exports reach over 2 billion and 200 million dollars per year. Which is a significant, significant growth in production," the expert said.
In his words, despite political declarations, private companies in the sector are driven by market principles. “Everything else is private. Their idea is precisely to generate revenue. And the Bulgarian economy receives very serious revenues from this, almost 2% of the Gross Domestic Product is the production of military enterprises“, he added.
The main challenge: The transition to NATO standards
Despite the economic upswing, Bozhilov pointed out that the Bulgarian military industry is basically still producing according to old models from the time of the Warsaw Pact.
“The biggest problem for the Bulgarian defense industry is how to switch to the new standards so that it can produce in a way that the Bulgarian army, when the modernization processes are underway, can benefit from this“, he said and defined the issue of investments and their return as “key not only for Bulgaria, but for Europe“.
The interview also commented on the incident with the plane of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Laien, where it was reported about “neutralization of the satellite signal“. According to Yordan Bozhilov, although there is a possibility of a purely technical malfunction, more dangerous is the deliberate use of systems for jamming or distorting (spoofing) the GPS signal. “My personal opinion is that GPS jamming can be both an element of military activity, military operations, but it can also be part of hybrid warfare“, Bozhilov said.