Drone intrusion management systems in airports: assessment of ASPRID solution

Abstract

Drone intrusions pose a growing threat for the airports as their expansion is sponsored by the widespread availability of their technology and by the ongoing U-space implementation. Counter-drone systems traditionally employ a reactive policy, which implies the closure of the overall airport following an intrusion, penalizing the continuity and the resilience of airport operations. Instead, a drone intrusion management system shall ensure a resilient behaviour against drone intrusions with a proactive policy, supported by specific procedures to mitigate the impacts of intrusions. ASPRID (Airport System PRotection from Intruding Drones) is an exploratory research project to develop an innovative operational concept for managing both careless and malicious drone intrusions in airports. This work demonstrates the positive impact of the ASPRID solution for the resilient protection of airport operations against drone intrusions. Such impact is assessed by means of real-time simulations, including a gaming exercise with experts representing aerodrome stakeholders and Law Enforcement Agencies. We present here the main results of the quantitative assessment and the main feedbacks received by the experts.