Kara Quesada, Senior Director, Marketing at Echodyne and William Edwards, Director of C-UAS Training – ENSCO discuss how to effectively manage the risk to critical infrastructure posed by drones.
About 15 years ago, seemingly harmless ‘toys’ went on sale: drones.
Back in the early days, security professionals might not have seen the flimsy, hobby aircraft as anything more than a radio-controlled (RC) car taking flight.
However, today’s drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/unmanned aircraft system (UAS), is much more sophisticated and has opened an entirely new threat domain.
Since the start of the commercial drone market with the Parrot AR.Drone, a lot has changed.
UAVs are increasingly able to carry higher payloads and can be easily modified to skirt traditional security systems.
The proliferation of drones for crime and terror has forced security professionals to “look up,” adding to their long-established responsibilities to secure critical sites from traditional perimeter security threats, as well as the last decade’s surge in cyber-attacks.
The focus on drones as a threat is illustrated in everything from the increased use of drones to smuggle contraband into prisons to unauthorized UAVs obstructing first responder efforts during the recent Texas floods and Palisades Fires.
Whether the intention of the drone operator is malicious or not, the possibility for harm and damage cannot be underestimated.
As drones become more accessible and alarmingly capable, security professionals are facing the hard truth of their weaponization – from illicit surveillance and smuggling to direct kinetic threats.
The surge in unauthorized drone incursions has made one thing clear: the air domain is now a critical vector of risk.
Forward-leaning teams are already rethinking vulnerability assessments to account for aerial threats.
Those who aren’t? They’re already behind.
In security and risk management, “duty of care” refers to the legal and ethical obligation security professionals must abide by to take reasonable measures to protect people, assets and information from foreseeable harm.
As unauthorized drones become commonplace sightings at mass gatherings like football games, concerts and beyond, they are changing the very nature of how duty of care needs to be approached.
According to FBI counter-UAS experts, traditional security models, long reliant on guns, gates and guards, are no longer sufficient.
Drones have revealed a critical vulnerability in legacy systems, easily bypassing physical barriers to deliver payloads, conduct surveillance or infiltrate protected zones.
To uphold their mission to protect, security teams must now adopt a three-dimensional mindset.
Ground-based defenses alone are no longer adequate and drones offer adversaries creative and asymmetric means to subvert even the most sophisticated security programs.
Addressing this challenge requires integrated strategies that extend beyond the perimeter fence – into the airspace above.
Understanding the potential damage drones can cause requires understanding what kind of assets need to be protected.
Every critical infrastructure site is different, but the following steps serve as a high-level guide to carrying out a comprehensive drone vulnerability and risk assessment.
While no single sensor can adequately defend a critical site from the full spectrum of drone threats, a modern and resilient counter-UAS solution relies on a layered sensor package approach, where multiple technologies work in concert to detect, track and assess aerial incursions of all sizes, signatures and tactics.
Below are several sensors commonly deployed in layered detection systems, listed in general order of criticality:
Radar: The foundation of any strong detection setup, able to track drones of all shapes, sizes and speeds without relying on their communication signals, including “dark drones” that skirt legacy radio frequency (RF) sensors. It works day or night, in all weather and filters out irrelevant objects like birds to reduce false alarms.
Optical sensors: Typically pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, these let security teams put eyes on the target, confirming details like whether the drone is filming or carrying a payload.
While valuable, these cameras rely on radar to guide them and can lose effectiveness in poor weather or low-light conditions.
Radio Frequency (RF) sensors: RF sensors detect and analyze the radio communications between drones and their controllers, helping locate both the aircraft and, at times, its operator.
Not all drones emit RF, so radar is critical as a “catch all” layer for varying drone types.
Acoustic sensors: Acoustic sensors use specialized microphones to pick up the unique sound signature of drone rotors, even when visibility is low or signals are jammed.
They’re not foolproof on their own but add another valuable layer of detection.
Any credible layered sensor package must, at minimum, integrate precision radar and optical systems for reliable detection and visual confirmation.
When augmented by RF and acoustic sensors, they form a multi-modal detection net that significantly reduces undetected drone incursions.
In high-risk environments, this layered configuration isn’t just recommended, it is essential.
Drones are no longer a novelty but a fast-evolving threat capable of bypassing traditional defenses and exposing critical infrastructure to new risks.
Staying ahead demands a proactive, three-dimensional approach to perimeter security, where aerial vulnerabilities are addressed as seriously as those on the ground.
A comprehensive drone risk and vulnerability assessment, supported by a layered sensor architecture, enables security teams to shift from reactive measures to anticipatory defense.
The threats are real, and the consequences are high – but with the right mix of strategy, technology and foresight, security professionals can maintain control of their airspace.
This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.