Counter-Drone Solutions for Airports

SAFE AIRPORTS REQUIRE SAFE AIRSPACE

Grounded flights. Missed connections. Angry passengers. Lost revenues. The mere threat of a drone incident can lead to profound consequences and financial losses. Increasing drone sightings near airports highlight growing risks from easy-to-fly, widely accessible drones.

Airports face complex challenges from both inadvertent (clueless) and malicious drone operations. Governments worldwide are clear: unauthorized drone activities in airport environments are illegal and subject to strict penalties including fines and criminal charges.

A 2020 study from the Canada National Research Council’s Aerospace Research Center remains a critical reference. It found that mid- and large-size drones with heavy payload capabilities can do significant damage to aircraft, including shattered windshields, penetration and inhalation hazards, lost optics and emergency landings.

At low speeds of around 140 knots, impact tests revealed plastic damage, extensive deformation to the aircraft skin, and harm to the  underlying honeycomb structure. At higher speeds near 250 knots, severe deformation of wing leading edges, and slat curvature, as well as penetration by drone debris into  fractured areas were observed, demonstrating the increasing severity of drone strikes at typical aircraft  speeds below 10,000 feet.

ADDITIONAL COMPLICATIONS AND AIRSPACE PROTECTION CHALLENGES

Fears of drone collisions or terrorism have prompted many airports to search for effective, optimized, regulation-compliant counter-drone technologies suited to sensitive, complex environments.

Achieving reliable airspace safety from drones is challenging: radar detection, often generates false positives in cluttered airspace, while mitigation methods like jamming potentially risk disrupting crucial communications, navigation, and air traffic control.

Airport environments demand counter-drone solutions that are precise, safe and fully compliant with evolving regulations.

Airports require precise, safe counter-drone solutions fully compliant with evolving regulations and future-ready for regulatory changes.

An optimal solution provides a clear migration path from passive detection that enhances the airport’s situational awareness, to eventual inclusion of full, seamless, and simple mitigation capabilities, as regulations permit.

CONTROL AND CONTINUITY WITH ENFORCEAIR

Detecting—and when permitted, mitigating—unauthorized drone threats swiftly is essential to maintaining safe, uninterrupted airport operations. With EnforceAir, flight schedules proceed as planned, supported by a system that asserts control over rogue drones and safely lands them in designated zones, compliant with regulations and executed by authorized personnel.

D-Fend Solutions’ EnforceAir delivers real-time detection and tracking of authorized and rogue drones, including drone location, home coordinates, and pilot position—enabling agile, informed responses.

It reads unique drone IDs and maintains an authorized drone list, allowing trusted drones performing essential functions to operate without disruption.

Air transportation depends on uninterrupted operations. EnforceAir’s proven capabilities help ensure airport activities continue smoothly, keeping flights, communications, security, and daily life on schedule.

EnforceAir prevents drone operators from regaining control after takeover, fully neutralizing threats without interfering with communications or damaging infrastructure.

It also provides preventative alerts and forensic data—such as drone takeoff and pilot control locations—allowing prompt, targeted responses.

Key operational advantages include:

• Selective Authorization: Differentiates authorized drones to ensure vital operations continue unhindered.
• Non-Disruptive Technology: Intervenes without impacting airport communications or navigation.
• Preventative Alerts & Forensics: Offers real-time alerts and detailed drone/operator data for proactive security.
• Operational Continuity: Prevents pilot regain of drone control, minimizing operational impact.

 TRUSTED AND VALIDATED BY LEADING AIRPORTS

EnforceAir is deployed at international airports worldwide and validated by government and aviation authorities.