Bulgaria is reportedly considering the purchase of more than 100 counter-drone systems from Greece under a European Union defense funding mechanism.
The prospective deal focuses on the “Centauros” anti-drone system produced by Hellenic Aerospace Industry and would be financed through the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE), according to Greek media reports.
Introduced in May 2025, the SAFE initiative was created to support urgent and large-scale defense investments by EU member states, helping them close capability gaps against rapidly evolving threats while strengthening Europe’s defense industrial base.
In addition to Bulgaria, Cyprus is also said to be evaluating the Centauros system and exploring its possible integration with the Barak MX air defense platform.
The Centauros System
Originally developed as a land-based counter-drone solution, Centauros was later modified for naval use and deployed aboard Greek Navy frigates to address drone threats posed by Houthi forces in the Red Sea.
Within the Hellenic Navy, the system has already been installed on two MEKO-class frigates and is scheduled for integration on four FDI-class frigates.
Centauros primarily employs soft-kill measures, electronically disrupting hostile drones by jamming their communication, navigation, and control links.
HAI is also working on an upgraded version that will incorporate an active radar with a detection range of up to 40 kilometers (25 miles), along with a kinetic interception capability as a secondary option.
