Bulgarian drone maker Dronamics and German defence electronics group HENSOLDT have flown an airborne early warning radar system on an unmanned aircraft for the first time, in a test in Bulgaria that both companies say points to a cheaper European alternative to crewed surveillance planes.

The flight, announced on 10 November, carried HENSOLDT's MissionGrid sensor suite aboard Dronamics' Black Swan aircraft and was demonstrated in front of representatives of several armed forces and government agencies. The companies describe the combined system, called Dronamics Detect & Defend, as the first fully European unmanned airborne early warning platform.

What the Black Swan carried

MissionGrid combines HENSOLDT's PrecISR radar, an Argos electro-optical camera and MissMarvin mission management software, which fuses radar and camera data so that one aircraft can carry out several missions at once. HENSOLDT also flew its MDOcore software, which links the aircraft into a secure network with forces on the ground, at sea and in the air. It was the first time the full suite had been demonstrated on an unmanned platform.

During the demonstration, the drone detected and tracked moving vehicles and stationary targets on the ground, fixed their positions, and picked up ships on the Danube river. The companies did not publish detection ranges or other performance figures.

The Black Swan was designed as a long-range cargo drone. Its heavy payload capacity lets HENSOLDT's sensors be fitted in several configurations, and the companies describe it as a NATO Class III unmanned aircraft, the category for the largest drones, which weigh more than 600 kilograms.

A cheaper alternative to AWACS

Airborne early warning aircraft carry powerful radars high above the ground so they can spot aircraft, drones and missiles flying low, beyond the reach of ground-based radars. In Europe that job is done by large manned planes, such as NATO's ageing E-3 AWACS fleet, which the alliance is now replacing.

The two companies say their unmanned system should cost significantly less than manned early warning planes, without giving a price. They also say it is free of United States export controls under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, which means European buyers would not need American approval to use or export it.

"In February we said we would demonstrate European sensors on a European unmanned aircraft in front of the people tasked with defending Europeans. We have done exactly that," said Svilen Rangelov, co-founder and president of Dronamics.

Why the eastern flank matters

Europe has been looking for more airborne surveillance after Russian drones and missiles crossed into the airspace of NATO countries on its eastern flank, and after attacks on shipping in the Black Sea. Bulgaria has seen that threat up close, after a French patrol plane spotted sea drones before a strike on a ship off the Bulgarian coast.

The companies said they plan to keep working together towards operational deployment, with a focus on Europe's eastern flank and the Black Sea region. They first announced the partnership at the Munich Security Conference in February.

"Together, we have taken an important step towards realising our shared vision of providing a sovereign, EU-manufactured capability in the NATO Class III UAV category for strategic surveillance, including the detection of low-flying targets," said Dietmar Thelen, head of the multi-domain solutions division at HENSOLDT.

Dronamics is also preparing to go public in the United States, after agreeing on 3 November to merge with GP-Act III Acquisition Corp., a Nasdaq-listed special purpose acquisition company.