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Carfil SA, Periscope Aviation sign drone manufacturing cooperation agreement
Representatives of Romanian producer of NATO-grade military equipment Carfil SA and American producer of high-performance uncrewed systems Periscope Avation signed on Friday, at the Black Sea Defense & Aerospace Exhibition (BSDA 2024), a cooperation agreement for the production of a Romanian drone; the signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Economy Stefan-Radu Oprea and U.S. ambassador in Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec.
"Today we had an important moment as, together with American venture Periscope and Romanian company Carfil, a subsidiary of state-owned Romarm, we signed a protocol to jointly produce a drone with applicability both in the civil and the military field. That is why two more protocols were signed, one that includes several associations, of those who believe in Romania's capacity to produce a 'domestic' drone and together with them we seek to improve the legislative framework, allowing the fast implementation of such projects. The second protocol brings together those who want to use the Romanian drone for agricultural purposes. You will see there agricultural research institutes, the Polytechnic Institute in Bucharest, because together we want to further research in Romania so that we can go from the idea to the prototype and to the product," declared Minister of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Stefan-Radu Oprea.
He mentioned that although several Romanian companies have the necessary know-how for drone manufacturing, have prototypes and also put out products, a competitive drone takes much more than that.
"Besides the Romanian drone project (...) we also plan to become suppliers in the global production chains of top-class manufacturers such as Periscope. This isn't the only company, but we want them to get to know us better, to see the production capacities we have in Romania, to develop products, to include us in their supply chains," Radu Oprea said.
Carfil CEO Mircea Tantau said that the company has everything necessary - modern manufacturing capabilities, investments of over 15 million of euros, ultra-modern equipment - to launch mass production for the drone types that will be established based on a roadmap.
He added that a certain article in the sealed cooperation agreement stipulates that within three months from the signing of the agreement, the two companies will define their participation in this association.
Carfil SA, with a history of over 100 years in the production of weapons and artillery ammunition, is one of the most important companies in the Romanian defense industry.
Periscope Aviation is the drone division of Chartis Federal, being the latest investment of the American company, famous for its innovation in high-performance tactical UAV systems.