Drones, counter drones and autonomous systems

The project looks at security aspects concerning the use of UAS and services built upon them. The project reviews active and passive counter-measure technologies and how these technologies can be utilised to ensure the security of citizens and critical infrastructures. The living lab investigates counter UAS technologies and how these can be applied in reality. The implementation covers planning, preparation and implementation of solutions considering detection, tracking and identification.

Why are drone services important for Europe

The development of drone (unmanned aircraft systems - UAS) services supported by a competitive industry can strongly support Europe’s twin transition to a green and digital economy, and contribute to the future resilience of the EU economy.

The European Green Deal calls for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as well as the development of digitalisation.

What has been accomplished so far

The Commission adopted a strategy for sustainable and smart mobility in 2020, which included the intention to also "adopt a ‘Drone Strategy 2.0’ setting out possible ways to guide the further development of this technology and its regulatory and commercial environment".

The EU needs to ensure the safe and efficient development of a drone ecosystem, addressing other related societal concerns such as safety, security, privacy and environmental protection while simultaneously ensuring a sustainable economic environment for the European drone industry to grow.

A first European regulatory framework is now in place since 2019. However, further and new action is needed at EU level because the sector is developing rapidly with new innovative ways of using drones emerging at a fast pace. They require an assessment of the regulatory and enabling framework to ensure that these new services can thrive in the EU internal market.

The European Commission adopted an Action Plan on Drones and Counter-Drones on 11 February 2026, strengthening and extending the scope of EU action beyond aerial systems to include unmanned systems operating in the air, on land, on the surface and underwater. It establishes a comprehensive EU framework addressing security challenges across all operational domains.

Role of the JRC and the European Commission

Related technologies such as radiofrequency communication, artificial intelligence, advanced sensors and improvements in power sources are opening new prospects. Conversely, the fact that customised drones can also be used for illegal purposes should be addressed. It is important that Europe safeguards its open strategic autonomy in this area.

The application of UAS is becoming very popular in many areas with services in agriculture, transport, survey, surveillance etc., and it will be a growing economic sector in the coming years.

Under the Action Plan on Drones and Counter-Drones, the JRC supports the European Commission by providing independent scientific and technical evidence, operational testing and methodological support. The JRC collaborates, and will continue to collaborate, with relevant policy Directorates-General and a wide range of stakeholders, offering its expertise to connect policy, technology and operational needs in this fast-moving domain. In this context, the JRC contributes to the assessment, testing and validation of counter-drone technologies and operational concepts, supports interoperability and coordination across EU actors, and facilitates the sharing of best practices among Member States and EU agencies. Through these activities, the JRC helps ensure a coherent, evidence-based and operationally relevant implementation of the Action Plan at EU level.

Commission sets out measures to tackle potential threats from civilian drones

How technologies are tested

The JRC Geel site is used as living lab to study counter-UAS (C-UAS) technologies and how these technologies can be applied in real-world settings. The lab setup covers the planning, preparation and implementation of a solution. It also covers detection, tracking, identification, and the integration of stakeholders and processes. The scope of implementation for the living lab includes integration with manned and unmanned traffic-management systems, most notably U-space.

The living lab will also study how machine learning and artificial intelligence can be integrated in order to improve the overall performance of a counter-drone solution. In the medium term, this JRC living lab will be developed into a counter-drone centre of excellence.

As part of the implementation of the European Commission Action Plan on Drones and Counter-Drones, the next step will be the upgrade of the Counter-UAS Living Lab into an EU Counter-Drone Centre of Excellence. This evolution will expand the current testing framework to support joint testing, training and demonstration activities, and to act as a central EU reference for counter-drone technologies, operational concepts and best practices.

UAS protection of critical infrastructure and public space

The Handbook on UAS protection of Critical Infrastructure and Public Space demonstrates a five-phase approach providing the key aspects for efficiently securing an area against drone threats:

Getting started: Setting the principles, goals and requirements for the Counter-UAS solution
Risk analysis: Investigating, analysing and documenting the site’s UAS-driven threats and establishing a response plan
Solution design: Matching business needs with potential solution architectures
Solution implementation: Installation and testing considerations of the solution
Solution operation: Operating, maintaining and updating the solution

The living lab will be setup using the methodology of the JRC handbooks. As a first step the airspace over and around the JRC Geel site has been declared a Geozone according to the regulations.

Geozone details and access conditions.

Read the report

DRONE - Protection against Unmanned Aircraft Systems

UAS risk assessment and principles for physical hardening of buildings and sites

The Handbook on UAS Risk Assessment and Principles for Physical Hardening of Buildings and Sites provides insight on available physical protective security measures focusing on their typology, performance and constraints. It explores their advantages over more sophisticated technological solutions, focusing on the fact that they are cost-efficient, multifunctional and not vulnerable to technical failures.

The handbook also illustrates a robust risk assessment that provides a comprehensive understanding of the parameters that influence the likelihood of manifestation of a UAS-driven security incident and the potential resulting consequences. Criteria are determined for reducing the amount of subjectivity to such a process, which is a prerequisite for selecting the most cost-efficient methodologies for mitigating the impact of an attack.