THREAT LANDSCAPE
Physical Impact
• UAS penetrate runways and collide with aircraft engines; lab tests show destructive energy several times higher than bird strikes, creating crash risks.
Airspace Incursion
• Rogue flights enter the 10 km airport protection zone, causing delays, diversions and, in severe cases, total airport shutdown.
Contraband Delivery & Surveillance
• Drones carry explosives or narcotics into terminals and cargo aprons; covert filming of security lanes and baggage-sorting layouts opens critical security gaps.
REGULATORY CHALLENGES
Detection Difficulty
• Small UAS emit faint signals; traditional EO/IR often misses them. Some platforms spoof GPS coordinates to bypass geofences.
Frequency Constraints
• Countermeasures must avoid civil-aviation bands; broad-spectrum jamming can disrupt flight communications, requiring highly selective frequency control that is technically demanding.
Response Difficulty
• Airport surfaces are vast; transporting portable counter-UAS gear from security offices to the incident site takes too long, missing the optimal intervention window.
