Dronamics, a Bulgarian manufacturer founded in 2014 with the aim of developing a commercial cargo transport aircraft through its Black Swan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) platform, has begun pitching the design for defence and security applications.

In a partnership with Hensoldt, the two companies are seeking to offer an International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR)-free European platform and sensor package for defence and internal security missions. With relatively few genuinely European medium-altitude long-endurance (MALE) platforms available, the adaptation of the civilian Black Swan could provide a more accessible route towards a European intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance (ISTAR) capability independent of American, Israeli, or Turkish designs.

The Black Swan offers notable endurance and payload capabilities, reflecting its origins as an unmanned cargo aircraft. With a wingspan of 16 m, it offers a range of up to 2,500 km and a maximum altitude exceeding 6,000 m. Payload capacity is up to 350 kg within an unpressurised fuselage providing 3.5 m³ of internal volume. Communications can be conducted through either radio-frequency or satellite links.

Regarding the utility of satellite communications for long-distance remote control, a Dronamics representative stated that one of the company’s founders participated in a Bulgarian scientific expedition to Antarctica, during which a Starlink-equipped scale model of the Black Swan was tested. Using a pilot positioned in Bulgaria, the team was reportedly able to control the aircraft via Starlink, with latency below 100 ms.

The Black Swan mock-up displayed at the HEMUS exhibition in Plovdiv from 3–6 June 2026 was equipped with the PrecISR 1400 synthetic aperture radar and the AROGS-15 airborne optronic suite. The combination of these sensors on a single platform enables the detection, mapping, surveillance, and tracking of a range of target types. Hensoldt also claimed that the PrecISR 1400 can provide airspace surveillance, allowing the platform to perform a limited airborne surveillance role against aerial targets at lower altitudes.

The Black Swan can currently be piloted remotely from a mobile control station housed within a commercial van, such as the Renault Trafic pictured. The vehicle displayed at HEMUS was fitted with two operator stations for the pilots and a third station at the rear of the van for a mission systems operator. The latter utilised Hensoldt mission management software to control and monitor outputs from the airborne sensor suite.

Dronamics plans to test the ISTAR variant of the Black Swan during a Bulgarian military exercise in late summer 2026. Company representatives stated that the programme has encountered regulatory challenges associated with operating within European airspace. When asked how the company had been able to conduct flight testing, Dronamics explained that it had established a testing facility in Madeira, Portugal, enabling easier validation of the aircraft’s aeronautical performance over the ocean. Conducting similar trials over land is considerably more difficult because of airspace restrictions.

Two principal factors affect the testing of such UAVs in Europe. The first is the need to avoid established civilian air corridors. The second concerns restrictions linked to population density beneath potential flight paths, ranging from lower-risk rural areas to higher-risk urban environments. These requirements are enforced through the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which provides risk-assessment frameworks governing where UAVs may operate. The framework uses population density, among other factors, to assess the risk posed to the public by UAV operations.

Navigating this civilian regulatory environment is one factor behind Dronamics’ growing interest in defence applications, with a company representative noting that military aviation is subject to fewer restrictions regarding testing and operational use.

The concept remains at an early demonstration stage, with the mock-up carrying representative rather than operational sensors. However, the planned exercise later in 2026 could provide a clearer indication of the extent to which the Black Swan can be adapted from an unmanned cargo aircraft into a military ISTAR platform. Pending the planned exercise, the Black Swan may offer an alternative pathway towards a European-developed MALE ISTAR capability, though its military suitability remains to be validated.