Protection of Critical Infrastructure from Unmanned Aerial System Attacks: Challenges and Solutions

Abstract

The rapid development of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) has made drones both a useful civilian tool and a potential threat to public safety and critical infrastructure. This paper aims to analyze the threats posed by unmanned aerial systems to critical infrastructure and to assess available protective strategies and solutions, with particular emphasis on technological, organizational, and legal barriers. The study seeks to demonstrate that effective protection of critical infrastructure against UAS-related threats requires an integrated approach combining modern counter-drone technologies (C-UAS, Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems) with appropriate organizational procedures and coherent legal regulations. This article employs a qualitative analysis of scientific literature, industry reports, and normative documents concerning critical infrastructure protection. On this basis, factors that increase the vulnerability of critical infrastructure to aerial attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles are identified. In addition, case studies of incidents involving unmanned aerial systems directed against critical infrastructure are presented. The study concludes with a proposal for a counter-UAS defense system concept for critical infrastructure. Furthermore, the results of an experiment conducted using an air operations simulator and a scenario-based analysis of C-UAS use cases are presented. This enabled the determination of the capabilities for detecting and neutralizing different types of unmanned aerial vehicles within a simulated critical infrastructure facility.