Japanese air survey operator Asia Air Survey has become an investor in Bulgaria-based drone maker Dronamics.
The deal was announced on April 20, 2026, following the launch of the EU-Japan Defence Industry Dialogue, a government-sponsored initiative which aims to strengthen the industrial defense cooperation between the European Union and Japan.
The first meeting within this international collaborative framework was held in Brussels on April 17, 2026, hosted by the European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius and with the attendance of Japan’s State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Toshio Ino.
This investment will also facilitate the entry of Dronamics into the Japanese market, and, to this aim, the Bulgarian drone developer is creating a local subsidiary called Dronamics Japan Holdings.
Dronamics is pitching its flagship product, a Medium Altitude Long Endurance (MALE) drone with a payload of 350 kg (772 pounds) and a range of up to 2,500 km (1,350 nm) called Black Swan, for a number of missions its new Japanese partner is active in, such as geospatial solutions, disaster prevention and management and environmental and forestry surveying.
This is not the first time Dronamics has looked to Japan for strategic partnerships. In September 2025, the drone developer signed an agreement with Kawasaki Motors to collaborate in propulsion engineering and, specifically, in the integration of piston engine integration into unmanned aerial systems (UAS) like the ones being developed by Dronamics.
The Bulgarian firm is also positioning Black Swanas a versatile multi-role platform for a number of cargo and defense missions. In February 2026, for example, Dronamics signed an agreementwith German sensor maker HENSOLDT, with the aim of offering an Early Warning (AEW) platform base on Black Swan.
