Hungary’s previous government installed an anti-drone defence system near the Carmelite Monastery in Budapest, where former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had his office, the Ministry of Defence has officially confirmed. However, it is unclear whether the system is still operating following the change of government.
The ministry confirmed the installation in response to an enquiry by HVG, after mysterious antennas around the building were first reported by Magyar Hang in 2023. The contract for the system has been classified by the deputy director-general of the Military National Security Service, meaning its exact capabilities and other details are not publicly available.
The ministry did not say whether the equipment continues to operate. After taking office in April 2026, Prime Minister Péter Magyar moved the head of government’s office from the Carmelite Monastery to a building in Alkotmány Street. No decision has yet been announced on the future use of the monastery.
Drone defence is now standard security practice
According to security policy expert Péter Tálas, installing such a system was not an extraordinary measure. He told HVG that drone protection has become a normal part of modern site security.
Although the specific equipment used near the Carmelite Monastery is unknown, systems of this kind can perform several functions: detecting and tracking drones, identifying their type and operator, assessing whether they pose a threat, and taking action to neutralise them if necessary.
Drones can be detected using radar, radio-frequency sensors, optical equipment, thermal cameras and acoustic sensors. In practice, several of these technologies are often combined. Possible countermeasures include disrupting a drone’s communications, taking control of it and guiding it to a safe landing site. If these methods are not feasible, a drone may have to be physically intercepted, for example with a net, an interceptor drone or a weapon.
Tálas also stressed that hostile drone activity does not necessarily involve plans to cause an explosion or physical damage. In Budapest, for instance, espionage or unauthorised surveillance may be a more likely concern.
Operating such systems in densely populated urban areas presents additional challenges. Authorities must protect civilians from falling debris, while electronic jamming can interfere with civilian equipment. Systems must also be able to deal with false alarms and situations in which several hostile drones appear at once.
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The 2022 drone incident over Hungary
The expert also noted how quickly drone technology is developing. On the Ukrainian front, new models with additional capabilities reportedly appear every six to eight weeks, making it difficult to assess how up to date the equipment installed near the Carmelite Monastery might be.
Hungary has previously experienced a major military drone incident. In March 2022, a Soviet-designed Tu-141 reconnaissance drone crossed Hungarian airspace for around 40 minutes before crashing in Zagreb, Croatia. Croatian authorities later said it was carrying an OFAB 100-120 bomb containing an unusual, high-energy substance.
The drone had entered Hungary near Csenger after being detected in Ukraine and also flew close to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. At the time, the Ministry of Defence said the aircraft had been tracked and monitored before leaving Hungarian airspace.
However, the Hungarian military and the Ministry of Defence classified details of the incident for 30 years following a public-interest data request by HVG. As a result, information about whether any mistakes were made and whether anyone was held responsible will not become available until 2052.
