Survey finds that 60% of organizations say they lack legal authority to act against unauthorized drones
DroneShield has released a new industry report revealing significant gaps in counter-drone readiness among airports, aviation authorities, correctional facilities, ports, and critical infrastructure operators worldwide.
Titled Airspace Under Pressure: A Global Assessment of Counter-UAS Readiness Across Airports and Critical Infrastructure, the report draws on survey responses from more than 20 operators across North America, Europe, Africa, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East.
Detection And Response Challenges Remain Widespread
The report highlights that unauthorized drone activity has moved beyond a theoretical concern, with organizations facing challenges in detection, legal authority, operational readiness, and response capabilities.
Key findings include:
- Detection gaps remain a major barrier: 70% of respondents identified limitations in detection capabilities as a challenge to effective counter-UAS operations.
- Legal authority restricts response: 60% of respondents stated they lack the legal authority to take direct mitigation action against unauthorized drones, even when safety risks are immediate.
- Integration and training challenges continue: Additional barriers include integration complexity at 48% and training and preparedness challenges at 35%.
Counter-UAS Operational Objectives Vary Across Organizations
Survey respondents were also asked about their counter-UAS operational objectives:
- Full combination (Awareness + Detection + Tracking + Response): 57%
- Detection-focused (Partial): 13%
- Awareness only: 13%
- Undefined / No formal plan: 17%
The findings highlight a major gap between organizational intentions and actual counter-drone capabilities.
The 17% of respondents without a formal counter-UAS plan represent a significant vulnerability, as these organizations may be forced to manage a drone incident without established procedures, escalation processes, or situational awareness.
“The primary Counter-UAS challenge in 2025 is not awareness of the threat, it is the capacity to convert awareness into authorized, coordinated, real-time action. Technology investment alone will not close this gap. Regulatory reform and operational integration must advance simultaneously.”
– Tom Adams, Director of Public Safety at DroneShield
Counter-UAS Readiness Maturity Gap
The report introduces a readiness maturity framework that evaluates organizations based on objective maturity and operational capability.
Prepared Organizations
Thirteen organizations were classified in the prepared quadrant, with defined operational objectives and moderate counter-UAS capabilities.
These organizations are typically larger airports and critical infrastructure operators that have invested in counter-drone strategies and established structured frameworks.
However, the report notes that even prepared organizations continue to face capability gaps.
Partial Readiness Organizations
Five organizations were identified as having operational objectives but insufficient capability to match their current needs.
These operators face the challenge of having plans that cannot yet be fully executed because of technology limitations or authorization constraints.
Exposed Organizations
Three organizations were placed in the exposed quadrant, with undefined objectives, limited capability, and no formalized counter-UAS framework.
These organizations face the highest risk of responding reactively during a serious drone incident without established procedures or predictable outcomes.
Building Proactive Counter-Drone Strategies
The report concludes that the organizations best prepared for future drone threats will be those that address capability, regulatory, and operational gaps before an incident occurs.
Rather than relying only on technology investments, effective counter-UAS readiness requires coordinated planning, authorized response capabilities, and integrated operational processes.
Report Availability
Airspace Under Pressure is available for download and includes operator survey data, analysis across five capability dimensions, and a readiness maturity framework for self-assessment.
About The Research
The DroneShield whitepaper dataset includes anonymized responses from 23 operators across airports, aviation authorities, correctional facilities, ports, and other critical infrastructure environments.
The survey included insights from senior security managers, operations directors, and aviation authority officials, covering:
- Operating environment
- Counter-UAS objectives
- Current capability maturity
- Regulatory constraints
- Identified operational challenges
DroneShield is an Australian publicly listed company with operations in both Australia and the United States. DroneShield provides counter-UAS solutions that focus on Radio Frequency sensing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), Sensor Fusion, Electronic Warfare, Rapid Prototyping, and MIL-SPEC manufacturing.
Internal Links URLs
https://security.world/counter-drone-security/
External Links URLs
https://www.droneshield.com
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- What Is The Main Finding Of The DroneShield Report?
The report found that many organizations are aware of drone threats but lack the detection capabilities, legal authority, and operational readiness needed for effective response. - What Percentage Of Organizations Report Detection Gaps?
Seventy percent of respondents identified detection capability gaps as a barrier to effective counter-UAS operations. - Why Do Organizations Struggle To Stop Unauthorized Drones?
Many organizations face legal restrictions preventing direct mitigation actions, along with challenges related to integration and training. - How Many Organizations Lack A Formal Counter-UAS Plan?
Seventeen percent of surveyed organizations reported having no formal counter-UAS plan. - What Does Counter-UAS Mean?
Counter-UAS refers to technologies and strategies designed to detect, track, identify, and respond to unauthorized unmanned aircraft systems (drones).
Source: droneshield.com
https://security.world/droneshield-report-reveals-counter-drone-security-gaps/