On 22 September, the interception of a non-cooperative drone was successfully demonstrated for the first time in a field test at Hamburg Airport as part of the FALKE project, funded by the BMVI (Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure).

The unauthorised intrusion of drones or Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into control zones means an increasing threat to the operation of commercial airports. The responsible parties at the airport are faced with the challenge of quickly detecting and reacting to the illegal entry of these small and agile flying objects in order to minimise any impact to airport operations.

Using the example of Hamburg Airport, the consortium partners of the “FALKE” project are developing and demonstrating their overall technical and organisational concept for the defence against illegally operating drones. FALKE provides an automated and standardised solution that can also be used at other German airports, considering all areas of competence and responsibility. In addition to the Frequentis Group, the German Federal Police, DFS, Lufthansa, Hamburg Airport, the Hensoldt Group, and the Professorship for Electrical Measurement Technology at the Helmut Schmidt University (HSU) Hamburg are involved in the project.

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Frequentis* and Hensoldt / Hensoldt Avionics create the blueprint for managing drone incursions in an airport environment: In collaboration with the German Air Navigation Service Provider (DFS), German Federal Police (Bundespolizei), Hamburg Airport, Helmut Schmidt University, and Lufthansa, the consortium will develop holistic and integrated counter drone solutions.

The aim of the FALKE project is to integrate all reporting processes and the necessary technology so that, in the event of a dangerous situation, an unauthorised drone in an airport environment can be intercepted automatically - also with the option of human intervention - and transported to a safe location. To enable this, sensor data are evaluated, communication flows are channelled and processed in the Incident Management System, and the Counter-UAS solution is enhanced with artificial intelligence.

In June 2021, the companies and organisations cooperating in the FALKE research project met for a first field trial near Ulm in Germany – find out more by watching this video: