Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov admits that the flight of the drone, which entered Sofia airport, could be a provocation. The drone has twice stood in the way of landing planes.
Transport Minister Grozdan Karadzhov has suggested that the drone flight which entered Sofia Airport may have been a provocation. The unmanned aerial vehicle twice positioned itself on the landing path of incoming planes.
The incident took place three days earlier, on februay 7. An unidentified drone caused emergency changes to the airport’s flight schedule.
The drone was significantly larger than the typical ones used for video recording. On two occasions, it positioned itself on the landing path of incoming aircraft, and there is evidence to suggest that this was intentional. Such drones can be operated remotely from distances of up to 40 kilometres and can have dual uses. In a meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister, the Air Traffic Control, security services from the Ministry of the Interior and the State Agency for National Security (SANS), Sofia Airport, and the Civil Aviation Administration, measures were outlined to enhance airport security and possible legislative changes.
The drone, which entered the airport’s vicinity on the evening of February 6, resembles a small airplane. Its wingspan is one and a half metress, and it weighs around 30 kg. In the event of a collision with an airplane, it could result in fatal consequences.
"Such drones are not commonly found; they are specially made, and unfortunately, they can have dual uses. Secondly, the skills needed to operate such a drone, a ‘small airplane’ type, indicate that the operator has specialised training and capabilities," said Grozdan Karadzhov, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications.
Air Traffic Control radars detected the drone and tracked its trajectory. It approached the western side of the runway and positioned itself directly in the landing path of incoming aircraft. After the planes were redirected to land on the eastern side of the runway, the drone moved and began circling this part of the strip.
"All of this leads us to the conclusion, and we want to be as transparent as possible with the public, that this could be a provocation or someone testing the airport's security systems," Minister Karadzhov added.
The detection of such flying objects, due to their small size, is difficult and for this reason it is necessary to build two systems.
"One should be located at the airport and cover the perimeter of the airport itself, an ‘iron dome’ type," explained the Minister.
This system should enable the neutralisation of drones approaching the airport at a critical distance. Building this system is the responsibility of the airport operators. The state will be responsible for building the second security system.
"This will provide the capability to detect all drones within a radius of 20 kilometres around the airport, and this will be a state responsibility," Karadzhov summarised.
Within this perimeter, drones will need to be detected and tracked, so that if there is suspicion of malicious intent, they can be neutralised before reaching dangerous proximity to landing and takeoff zones.
"And secondly, which is even more important, to catch the person operating it, who could be anywhere else," emphasised the Transport Minister.
Grozdan Karadzhov also highlighted the need for law changes that would allow security services to shoot down drones, and for electronic evidence gathered in such operations to be used in criminal proceedings.
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