Cuda, Sirin and a marine drone are three types of Romanian military UAVs which are set to enter production this year at CARFIL Brasov, a subsidiary of the National Company ROMARM. They were unveiled at the Southeast Europe Special Operations Forces Forum 2025 (SEESOF) in Targu Mures - the first international expo-forum dedicated to the special operations forces.

'Cuda is a drone with a flight capacity of half an hour and with surveillance capabilities, fit for surveillance missions. Sirin can carry a payload of up to 15 kilograms, and then there's a unique drone in the region, the maritime drone, which is specially designed to fly at sea and in the coastal area. It is special because maritime flights pose problems for sensors - corrosion and winds are particular challenges at sea, and therefore we designed this drone specially for the Romanian Naval Forces,' the head of the Brasov-based Center of Excellence in Drone Pilots Training, Cristea Gabriel Rau told the press.

The drones presented in Targu Mures are being developed together with American partner Periscop Aviation and will enter production this summer in Brasov.

'They were tested as per the specifications of the U.S. Army, which are more restrictive than the Romanian ones. CARFIL is a Romanian company with a long tradition, which has been producing bombs for the army for over 100 years now. Why do we make drones? Because recent conflicts have shown that drones will change the war paradigm. With drones you can carry almost anything. And then, as established bomb manufacturers, we said let's make bombs for drones. We did this, and then we said, why not make drones too?,' Cristea Gabriel Rau detailed.

According to him, CARFIL is the first Romanian company to produce drones on an industrial scale. The head of the Center of Excellence in Drone Pilots Training stressed that they are not for being sold abroad, but are made exclusively for Romania.

'We want to produce 25 Cuda and 25 Sirin drones. If the maritime drone arouses interest, we can switch production immediately. If our carrier drone is desired, the one with a payload capacity of 63 kg, we can make that UAV too. We can also produce drones for civilian use, as the requirements for the civilian market are different. We will modify our UAVs so that they meet the civilian requirements and price standards in order to be competitive,' Rau specified.

CARFIL general manager Mircea Tantau showed that this company, a subsidiary of the National Company ROMARM SA, is participating in SEESOF 2025 Targu Mures with several types of products.

'CARFIL is a well-known global manufacturer of bomb- and grenade-launching systems, with the associated ammunition. The drones are our new developments, we also have the EXO range of individual fire-fighting systems. We have a very strong partner, a state-owned French company which trains and instructs military drone pilots from France and beyond,' said Tantau.

CARFIL, he said, is in full development, tapping into new development directions with new products in the pipeline, such as a multi-stage launcher with optical block, 70 mm missiles, smart ammunition, electronic warheads. The war in Ukraine meant a relaunch of the Romanian defense industry, and in recent years the Romanian government and the Ministry of Economy have put their focus on the development of this industry. For instance, Carfil had last year almost 50 million euros in turnover, of which about 2.5 million euros net profit, stated Tantau.

Over 110 companies from 23 countries, 50 of which from Romania, participated in the Southeast Europe Special Operations Forces Forum 2025 (SEESOF) held June 4 - 5 at the 'George Emil Palade' University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science and Technology (UMFST) in Targu Mures. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Dorina Matis; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)