under threat Critical infrastructure
As drone detection systems proliferate, aerospace and defence journalist Jack Richardson explores who is responsible for countering drone threats.
A
t a data centre, power station or port, the familiar hum of machinery could one day be interrupted by a very different sound: the buzz of a drone whose purpose is unknown.
Over the past decade, an entire counter-drone industry has
emerged to give operators of critical national infrastructure greater awareness of what is happening above their sites. Yet detecting a drone is only the first part of the problem. The harder questions are who decides whether it poses a threat, who takes control and what powers they have to act. Farnborough International Airshow offers one example.
Liz Arnold, general manager Farnborough Airport at NATS, said small, low-flying drones can be difficult to detect using traditional surveillance, requiring airspace restrictions, monitoring, procedures and close collaboration with authorities.
From detection to response Utah-based Fortem Technologies provided detection for the recent Farnborough International Airshow. While on other deployments, Fortem can use its DroneHunter F700 to capture aerial threats, for the airshow, its role was more light-touch.
“Our task is to ensure air safety and airspace monitoring, so
we would provide the information to, let’s say, police or another entity to take care of the drone,” he said. That distinction is central to critical-infrastructure
protection. A site operator may detect and track an object, but that does not necessarily give it the authority to interfere with the drone or detain its operator. Police can investigate suspected offences, regulators may become involved where flight rules are breached, and a more serious national security threat could require a wider government response. Remote ID should help authorities identify some drones
and operators, but a malicious actor may ignore the rules or use a system that does not transmit the expected information. The challenge is therefore to ensure the chain from detection to decision and intervention is understood and rehearsed.
Who takes control? Sergeant Jack Venables, a police officer and Bronze Commander within the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit, explained the peacetime response. “In peacetime, the Home Office retains accountability for policing, public safety and national security, with police officers
Autumn 2026 | Advance 37
Photo credit: Farnborough International
SECURITY
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