DroneShield Survey Reveals Critical Gaps in Counter-Drone Security at Key Infrastructure Sites

According to a new global industry report released by counter-drone technology company DroneShield, unauthorized drone activity has moved well beyond a theoretical concern and now poses real, on-the-ground challenges for international airports, aviation authorities, correctional facilities, and port operators across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Report Background

The report, titled Airspace Under Pressure: A Global Assessment of Counter-UAS Readiness Across Airports and Critical Infrastructure, represents DroneShield's latest industry-wide survey of C-UAS preparedness at critical infrastructure sites worldwide.

Key Findings

Severe Detection Capability Gaps

Approximately 70% of respondents identified detection capability gaps as the primary obstacle to effective counter-UAS operations.

Absence of Legal Authority

60% of respondents stated that their organizations lack the legal authority needed to take direct countermeasures, even when a drone poses a clear and immediate security threat. Other barriers cited include system integration complexity (48%) and insufficient training and preparedness (35%).

Widespread Lack of Formal C-UAS Response Plans

When asked to describe their organization's C-UAS operational objectives, respondents reported the following:

• 17% have no formal plan of any kind
• 13% focus solely on situational awareness
• 13% list detection as their primary objective
• 57% report objectives spanning the full cycle of awareness, detection, tracking, and response

Expert Warning

DroneShield highlighted in the report: "The 17% of respondents with no formal C-UAS plan represent a specific and urgent risk — these are organizations that will encounter a drone threat for the first time during an actual incident, with no established procedures, no clear escalation pathway, and no baseline situational awareness from which to act."

Tom Adams, DroneShield's Director of Public Safety, noted that the ability to translate situational awareness into effective action is the most critical challenge currently facing the C-UAS sector, and called for regulatory reform and operational integration to accelerate progress.

Report Structure

The report is organized into three main sections:

1. Operator survey data
2. Thematic analysis across five key capability dimensions
3. A readiness maturity framework for self-assessment

The report underscores that, in the face of an increasingly serious drone threat landscape, critical infrastructure operators worldwide still face significant gaps in regulatory clarity, technical detection capability, and organizational preparedness — all of which urgently need to be addressed.

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