On the first day of Airspace World, Global Airspace Radar had the opportunity to meet with SkeyDrone to catch up with their latest activities. Claudia Bacco met with Hendrik-Jan Van Der Gucht, Managing Director, SkeyDrone to hear about the latest priorities for the organisation. Kasia Żmudzińska attended a presentation from skeyes, SkeyDrone and Airport Intelligence showcasing how SkeyDrone’s Drone Radar identifies threats with skeyes’ EASA-based ConOps, Airport Intelligence’s approach, and Brussels Airport as an example.
Recent activities
SkeyDrone is providing drone detection mainly within Europe for airports, seaports, critical infrastructure and military clients. According to recent research they found that 90% of flights found via drone detection are unauthorised flights. Some of the more intriguing examples include spying activities and prison smuggling. The industry is in an education phase currently to help companies understand how to protect from drones vs. how to use drones in their business.
Airspace constraints need skeyes collaboration for U-space. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges will implement U-space in Q4, 2025. Looking ahead to airports, threat alerting zones can notify ATCOs based on a drone location. The alerts are color-coded to reflect the situation of the drone. This could be used for active runways. The alerts are sent to the ATC supervisor screen and can be visual or audible. There isn’t a major change to the ATM system required to support. Read about the demo below.
Concept of Operations (ConOps) of the drone detection system
The drone detection system is a combination of a few elements: hardware, software, ConOps and collaboration with stakeholders to make sure that roles and responsibilities are clearly divided and everybody involved has a common understanding of the ConOps. The ConOps is designed to create a bridge between a detection of an unauthorised drone and an ATC reaction. In principle the operational impact depends on the categorisation of the unauthorised drone detection.
According to EASA guidance, airspace around Brussels Airport was categorised into four categories to create the threat map. The closest vicinity of the runways was categorised as red, the airspace around the approach and departure routes as orange, the airspace starting 1000ft below the approach or departure routes as yellow, and 2000ft below these, the green category area starts. The principle of the drone detection system is that the software alerts in function of the threat map. An ATC reaction is only triggered in case the detection takes place in the red or orange zones.
The technological point of view
The drone detection system is based on 10 sensors covering the Controlled Traffic Region (CTR) of Brussels Airport using different technologies, i.e. Direct Remote ID, ADS-B, radio frequency and telemetry.
The ATC reaction depends on where on the threat map a detection occurs. An occurrence in the red and orange categories require an immediate action, in the yellow category, only monitoring of the drone and an occurrence in the green zone does not trigger any reaction.
Moreover an AI-based threat evaluation takes place for each case, taking into account numerous parameters. The software allows a view of the live situation at the airport and its vicinity, together with the threat map and location of airborne drones. Recording and replay functions are available, where one can view trajectories of the detected drone flights, together with flight data.
The road ahead
A specific Working Group has been created to align the actions of different stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of the drone detection system. The implementation process is planned a the few phases:
- Setup, monitoring and reporting in cooperation with the Belgian Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the police
- Trial period with fine-tuning
- Potential introduction of the system in skeyes’ ATC towers in different locations.
One of the main challenges identified ahead for creating a future-proof system is that drones are being purchased in masses, they are widely available for the public, affordable and more and more capable in terms of performance. Often drone pilots are not trained and unaware of risks. There are many recreational drones in use, but drones can also be used as a weapon, creating a potentially serious risk.
The integration of advanced drone detection systems like the one mentioned in this article, marks a big step in keeping the airport and airspace around it safe and the air traffic smooth and efficient. By combining cutting-edge technologies, stakeholder collaboration, and a well defined ConOps aligned with EASA recommendations, skeyes, SkeyDrone, and Airport Intelligence are preparing the ground for a smart, responsive, and future-proof solution. The ongoing efforts are well placed to adapt to the dynamic challenges posed by the growing presence of drones and building the environment where public safety and critical infrastructure are being protected.
