As UAV technology matures and becomes more budget-friendly, unmanned systems can be a great asset for security operators. At the same time drones can also pose a threat, as bad actors or irresponsible hobbyists seek to test the limits of security systems at critical infrastructure such as airports.
International hubs have seen drone incursions interrupt operations on several occasions last year, causing great inconvenience to travelers and costing airports and airlines millions. One prominent example is Munich Airport in Germany, where liftoffs and landings ground to a halt on several occasions in October last year after drones flew into the perimeter. Over 30 flights had to be canceled.
At international airports, police or military usually are the only ones authorized to address the “drone threat,” regardless of who is behind it any concrete case. Security systems integrators, however, can help ensure the right technology is in place to assist in detecting drone incursions and help the authorities choose the right response. A closer look at what the situation looks like in 2025 and 2026 is therefore necessary.
Drone incidents coming in waves
Drone incidents have in the past year come in suspicious waves, in many cases using drones that were apparently modified to make it harder for the authorities to disturb their signals. This reflects advances in drone technology, including those developed for battlefield operations over Ukraine and elsewhere.
The legal situation in many areas, however, is lagging behind. In Germany, for example, only the police are authorized to address drone incursions, but lack the equipment to do so. The military, which has the needed equipment, is only allowed to act in support of the police, and even then it would only be allowed to shoot down drones if narrow criteria are met.
On the other hand, Germany has one of the most advanced institutes in developing technology to address drone incursions at civil airports—the German Aerospace Center (DLR). As long as it remains unclear who is allowed to act and in what way, the focus lies on detecting drones and “gentle” ways to remove them from critical areas.
In an interview with MSN last year, Daniel Sülberg, Acting Head of the National Experimental Test Center for UAV Systems, spoke about best practices for airports seeking to detect threats early.
“A proven approach is a mix of systems that combine radar technology, radio frequency (RF) scanning, and optical and acoustic detection,” Sülberg said. “This multi-layered strategy allows most hostile drones to be detected with high precision from several kilometers away. If you rely on only individual sensors, attackers can adapt more easily, and you will quickly find yourself outmatched.”
The drone detection workflow
Needless to say, airports are high-stakes environments. Drone detection needs to be precise and quick, following a well-orchestrated routine:
- 1. Detection: An anomaly is being picked up that fits the signature of a drone.
- 2. Classification: The AI determines whether it’s indeed a drone (or a bird, or a fluke).
- 3. Identification: What information can be detected, such as type, size and movement vector?
- 4. Threat assessment: Is the drone a threat, or can it become one? Here, at the latest, security personnel has to be “looped in” and take the lead to ensure accountability.
- 5. Decision: Police and airport operators are notified; an automated response procedure begins.
Threat levels and drone types
To assess the threat posed by a drone, its location and movement vector needs to be determined precisely. Radar (but also LiDAR) technology is essential to set up virtual, 3D perimeter zones beyond the physical fence that cannot be crossed by any aircraft without triggering a system response.
All available evidence suggests that commercial drones are most commonly detected in such scenarios, luckily posing little threat to well-orchestrated mechanisms.
“Consumer drones are relatively easy for us to detect and neutralize,” Sülberg said. “With the right equipment, the police can simply tap into the signal, take over control, and simultaneously locate the perpetrator.”
Classical “jamming”—the term that is most commonly used in the context of drone defense—is not applicable at airports, though. Jamming effectively means “flooding” the area with signal noise, ensuring the drone is cut off from the one controlling it and/or its GPS system. At an airport, this would obviously pose a grave threat to planes and systems on the ground.
The technology is instead moving toward “protocol manipulation,” in which the authorities target only the signal steering the drone, and take over its operation.
If all else fails
As drone technology is progressing, drones hardened against signal interference might become a more common threat. The classical “shooting them down” obviously comes with strong caveats, not least because falling debris might also cause a threat.
“There are other ways to incapacitate drones through external intervention. In the civilian sector, regulatory constraints often make "interceptor drones"—which pursue and ram hostile drones—a viable option,” Sülberg said. “When built correctly, these can achieve a very high hit probability. At the DLR, we are developing such a drone. While it naturally needs to be faster than the intruder, the real ‘magic’ happens in the processors: after an initial hand-off from the detection system, the drone takes over target tracking autonomously. This is nearly impossible for a pilot to achieve via line-of-sight flight, which is why we at the DLR utilize live sensor data and AI for this purpose.”
AI and automation are indeed becoming more central to drone defense. While in the typical scenario, a single small drone might be spotted well ahead of becoming a threat, authorities also need to prepare for coordinated attacks using swarms of signal-hardened drones. Here, the “human-in-the-loop” might become the “human-on-the-loop,” only giving the final clearance to engage, while automated defense drones are taking over in the air.
Conclusion – Multi-sensor expansion
On the ground, systems to ensure runway safety, for example, will increasingly need to play a role in drone defense. Multi-sensor systems that are commonly installed at airports need to be fine-tuned to stay ahead of the game, and might have to be expanded to ensure there’s no gap in the airport’s ability to detect threats.