Romania's €8M Counter-Drone Contract Faces Scrutiny Over Supplier Ownership
An investigation examines Romania's €8 million counter-drone contract awarded to Civitas Systems, including supplier ownership and a Slovenian industry partner.
BUCHAREST, October 20, 2026. A Romanian investigative report has raised questions about a €8 million counter-drone procurement by two national security institutions, examining the background of the contract's supplier and its ultimate beneficial owner.
The investigation, published on October 20 by Romanian investigative outlet Public Record, concerns a contract awarded in 2023 to Civitas Systems SRL for equipment and software designed to detect, monitor and neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles.
The procurement was conducted jointly by Romania's Protection and Guard Service (SPP), responsible for protecting senior state officials, and the Special Telecommunications Service (STS), which provides secure telecommunications for government institutions.
Valued at approximately RON 39.4 million (€8 million), the contract was financed through Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), supported by European Union funding.
Romanian and Slovenian Companies Involved
Civitas Systems, headquartered in Craiova, secured the contract through a negotiated competitive procurement procedure used for defense and national security acquisitions.
According to the investigation and the company's written response, Civitas participated alongside Slovenia's DAT-CON d.o.o., a company specializing in surveillance technologies, border security and counter-drone systems.
DAT-CON develops integrated surveillance solutions, including the LYNX counter-UAS platform, which combines radar, radio-frequency detection, electro-optical sensors and electronic countermeasures.
However, the specific products supplied under the Romanian contract have not been publicly identified, and there is no confirmation that the LYNX system formed part of the delivery.
In its response to Public Record, Civitas Systems confirmed that the contractual supply obligations had been fulfilled, that the systems had been accepted by the customer and that they were operational.
Previous Criminal Proceedings Examined
The investigation identified Romanian businessman Cristian Dobre as the ultimate beneficial owner of Civitas Systems.
Dobre was previously prosecuted by Romania's National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) in connection with alleged irregularities involving the construction of a public water park in Craiova, a project financed partly through European funds.
A Romanian court initially sentenced him to four years in prison in 2023. However, the criminal proceedings against him were terminated by an appeals court in 2024 after the applicable statute of limitations had expired.
The termination of proceedings did not constitute a final criminal conviction.
Civitas Systems emphasized that the earlier criminal case concerned a separate company and was unrelated to its operations or the counter-drone procurement.
The company also stated that Dobre was not involved in the executive management of Civitas Systems when the contract was awarded or signed, nor does he hold such a position today. It acknowledged his non-executive administrative role at Civitas PSG, another company within the group.
Public Record reported that it had contacted both SPP and STS regarding the procurement and the supplier's ownership background, but neither institution provided substantive answers to its questions.
Additional Security Contracts
According to Public Record, Civitas Systems has secured public contracts worth more than RON 81 million since 2015, including the SPP-STS counter-drone procurement.
The company has also supplied security equipment to Romania's Ministry of Internal Affairs and military facilities.
In 2026, Civitas received another contract worth more than RON 2.8 million from the Romanian Border Police for security equipment protecting communications infrastructure used in maritime border surveillance.
The newly published investigation does not establish wrongdoing in the 2023 counter-drone procurement. It focuses instead on supplier ownership, the background of individuals linked to the contractor and the level of transparency surrounding sensitive security acquisitions financed through public funds.
