Bulgarian participation was also present in the international meeting dedicated to ending the military conflict between Israel and “Hamas “ in the Gaza Strip, held in Egypt… Hardly anyone has paid attention to the high-tech equipment that guarded the motorcades of world leaders. Among the most important elements in the security system were anti-drone devices manufactured in Bulgaria. How did Bulgarian companies reach this prestigious commitment… Prof. Dr. Eng. Vladimir Turtanski, military advisor to several prime ministers in our country (Stefan Sofianski, Ivan Kostov, Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Sergey Stanishev, Boyko Borisov) spoke to FACTI on the topic.
- Mr. Turtanski, the meeting of US President Donald Trump in Egypt, which ended the war between Israel and “Hamas “ in the Gaza Strip, was world news. But! People hardly paid attention to the anti-drone systems in the motorcades of the heads of state present. And it turns out that they are Bulgarian-made – yours and another Bulgarian company from Samokov. Tell us more about how this came about. What are your contacts in Egypt?
- Bulgarian anti-drone systems provided protection for all heads of state present at the signing in Egypt, including the protection of presidents Donald Trump, Macron, Erdogan, Aliyev … Otherwise, our company has been working with Egypt for more than 20-25 years. Somewhere around 2005, I think, were the first contracts that we concluded with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the presidential administration of Egypt. It concerns the supply of systems for silencing remotely controlled terrorist explosions (bombs) and for combating drones that fly and drones that are land-based, designed to detonate devices on the road.
- So on the world stage, when we talk about drones, Bulgaria is known?
- Yes, of course. In parallel with us, similar contracts were also concluded by our colleagues from Samokov, so the equipment that they used to protect all the heads of state who attended this particular event in Egypt was actually and traditionally taken over by companies from Bulgaria. From the Bulgarian military business, so to speak.
- Both companies participated in the motorcade, as I understand it…
- Yes, both Bulgarian companies. The event was large-scale and required the engagement of all available technological resources.
- And how did you find out about it…
- I found out about it by accident. From materials on CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, etc., which reported on the welcoming of the heads of state. The reports showed the cars from the motorcade, and security in the motorcades was provided by Bulgarian equipment.
- Let's talk about the device itself - what is it, how does it work?
- The device itself is a source of powerful electromagnetic signals that jam navigation and remote control systems.
- Absolutely all frequencies that are related to communication, to radio...
- Absolutely all frequencies cannot be suppressed by anyone, but we work in a range up to about 9 gigahertz, which is the practically usable range. Of course, we can reach much more – up to 40 gigahertz and more, for example, but all of this is related to funding, to a large budget. And when we talk about funding, this applies to both those who protect the heads of state and those who seek to harm them. The technology for over 6 - 9 gigahertz is extremely expensive.
- You have access to such technology, right?
- Yes, we here in Bulgaria have the chance and the advantage of enjoying access to the latest technologies that are in Europe and the USA, since we have the trust, the guaranteed unhindered access - as members of the EU, members of NATO and we have no problems providing products made using these technologies to other countries.
- Do I understand that you work in the range in which mobile communications and the frequencies of the drones that are produced are?
- Yes, exactly.
- And the colleagues in Samokov?
- The colleagues in Samokov also have technologies that manipulate - not only disrupt, but manipulate the control of the drones, so as to forcibly remove them. Not only through disruption, but also through manipulation of their control in a way that suits the defender.
- So, in some way the drone is taken over and placed under the command of the defender?
- Yes, figuratively speaking. That's the essence of things.
- And what is the scope of these anti-drone devices?
- This is already very sensitive information and cannot be disseminated, because access to it will allow those who have other intentions to take into account the possibilities for protection. But ... the scope is serious, the possibilities are serious.
- You sell abroad, and does the government in Bulgaria have such jamming cars?
- I think the colleagues from Samokov have provided the presidency with a version of such anti-drone protection, which is quite simple, because everything comes down to budget. Neither we nor our colleagues are evaluated in our own country, but abroad the relevant institutions are well informed. Our company, for example, trades and cooperates with the armies and services of about 12 countries, where they trust us when it comes to protecting people from the political and ruling elite. For our colleagues from Samokov, the figure is similar, if not greater, because they are still a large plant, an old plant with a serious history. They may have even greater achievements.
- Drones are becoming the main threat today - both on the battlefield and in military operations? Is this the new military force...
- Of course. We first encountered this new thing, drones, sometime in 2010-2011, when there was a similar problem with the motorcade of the President of Kazakhstan. Then the Presidential Guard showed us a remote-controlled car that the bad guys tried to put under the President's car and blow it up. And then we were asked to develop such means and methods of countermeasures that would stop this car before it could get under the president's car. We made a system that stopped it at a fairly large distance from the motorcade at that time. We're talking about hundreds of meters. Again, I won't go into details, but ... far enough.
- And now things are much more developed, aren't they?
- Yes, now things are very developed on both sides. The distances more or less remain the same, because with us the situation is like the bulletproof vest and the bullet — the better the bulletproof vest, the more serious the bullet is needed. And vice versa. This is a continuous race.