Spending on counter-UAS systems (C-UAS) by governments around the world between January and September 2026 has reached over USD53 billion in publicly announced contracts, with levels of spending likely to increase over the last three months of the year, according to the September 2026 edition of the Unmanned Airspace Counter-UAS Directory, published today.
C-UAS civil innovations
During the 2026 FIFA World Cup across the 11 US host cities, authorities seized over 700 unauthorised drones operating in restricted airspace. For owners of civil infrastructure, the rogue drone issue is slightly different from the challenge facing military colleagues. Detection is less of a challenge (most rogue drones can be detected via their RF signals) but stopping a drone from flying over a stadium or an airport is institutionally and technically challenging, especially when budgets are limited. In July the US Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice published an interim final rule which has allowed local authorities to conduct training and certification of counter-UAS system operations at a more local level. The World Cup brought together the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and local law enforcement, with agencies coordinating their different capabilities and authorities. In Dallas, for example, the FBI and local police worked side by side throughout a joint operations centre throughout the tournament. In Dallas, local police were typically the first to detect unauthorised drones, using a fleet of nine police drones to monitor the airspace. Once Dallas Police identified an unauthorised UAS, its drones could help the FBI locate the operator. Federal and local partners then assessed the circumstances and potential threat before deciding how to respond. The Federal Air Marshal Service assisted with drone seizures because that authority was not available to local police. More than 90 drones were seized in Dallas during the tournament, and at least one operator faced a criminal complaint.
New RF detectors linked to AI enabled databases of drone characteristics have given civil security agencies the capability to track every unauthorised drone flight in the vicinity, log the drone types and serial numbers and even identify the operator’s position, providing forensic evidence for prosecutions. But most countries have not yet been able to provide a seamless C-UAS solution where the organisation which detects the rogue drone can pass this information on to another agency with the authority, competence, training and technical capabilities to shoot down or capture drones.
A July 2026 report from C-UAS technology supplier DroneShield into the deployment of C-UAS systems at critical infrastructure sites around the world concluded that: “some 70 percent of survey respondents identified detection capability gaps as a barrier to effective C-UAS operations…Furthermore, 60 percent of respondents also indicated that they lack the legal authority to take direct mitigation action against unauthorised drones, even when the threat to safety is clear and immediate.”
The technology developed for the battlefields of Ukraine is now starting to be transferred to police and security environments. In March 2026 Ukraine began field testing a compact laser-based air defence system called Sunray to provide an even more affordable C-UAS capability. Directed energy C-UAS, especially when linked to AI-based detection, identification and tracking systems, will be a key future technology and in August 2026 a US Joint Task Force unit, operating under US Northern Command in support of US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), shot down three cartel-linked drones using directed energy systems.
Our sister publication Unmanned Airspace has the full story and more details discussing the military side of C-UAS.
The Unmanned Airspace Counter-UAS Directory is a vital industry resource, used by government procurement agencies around with world. It provides the reader with a one-stop comprehensive guide to C-UAS systems and capabilities, along with manufacturing companies, their contract wins and partnerships. It is the world’s only comprehensive, updated guide to C-UAS systems under development or in production around the world and the latest edition includes 654 company entries, more than 1,000 systems descriptions, with 78 new entries and 56 updated entries, covering the entire C-UAS sector from detection and electronic countermeasures to directed energy, intercept drones and integrated systems. For more information about the publication please contact the editor at philip@unmannedairspace.info
