Drone Detection Systems
the airspace over the stadium is the new perimeter.
Drone detection design and deployment across SoCal — stadiums, large venues, correctional facilities, critical infrastructure, data centers, tribal casinos, corporate, government. Dedrone, DroneShield, Aaronia, Fortem. Camera integration. FAA TFR awareness.
Drone detection systems — the airspace becomes a sensored perimeter
Drone detection systems use RF spectrum monitoring, acoustic signatures, optical tracking, and radar to identify unauthorized drone activity over a protected area before the drone reaches the target. FAA UAS regulations govern airspace use; CISA Counter-UAS guidance defines the federal framework. Detection is legal commercially; mitigation (jamming, takeover, kinetic) is restricted by statute to specific federal agencies.
The engagement: site survey for RF environment characterization and sensor placement, vendor selection (Dedrone for RF-primary, DroneShield for multi-sensor including handhelds, Aaronia for spectrum analysis, Fortem for radar-primary), integration with the camera platform for visual confirmation, integration with security operations workflow, and (where customer is a federal agency or operating on their behalf) coordination with federal mitigation authority. Most commercial customers are detection-only by statute.
Pairs with security cameras for visual confirmation, mass notification for event response, and venue security. Start with a free site survey.
Three operational realities driving drone detection
Drone detection moved from defense-only to commercial in five years because the threat landscape changed in the same window.
Stadium event: TFR violation, no detection capability
FAA Temporary Flight Restrictions over stadium events during MLB, NFL, NCAA, and large-venue contests are routinely violated by hobbyist drones. Without detection capability, the venue can't alert the FAA, can't coordinate with law enforcement, and can't document the event. Detection systems close that gap with FAA-reportable evidence.
Correctional facility contraband delivery
Drone-delivered contraband (drugs, weapons, phones) inside correctional facility perimeters roughly doubled 2020-2024 across US institutions. Detection systems identify approach in real time, allowing yard lockdown and recovery before the drop reaches the inmate population.
Critical infrastructure: perimeter is now overhead
Refineries, power plants, water treatment, data centers, and similar facilities have spent decades hardening ground perimeters. Aerial approach was unconsidered. Modern drone detection extends the perimeter overhead with the same defense-in-depth philosophy.
Why choose WCC for C-UAS deployment
Drone detection is RF + acoustic + optical + radar sensor integration combined with camera platform and security operations workflow. WCC owns the integration trades.
CSLB C-7 · C-10 · C-28
Active California contractor license. Permits pulled for sensor placement on rooftops, towers, light poles. Outdoor RF infrastructure done right.
RF · Acoustic · Optical · Radar
Multi-modal detection across the four primary sensor categories. Vendor selection driven by environment, threat profile, and budget — not single-modality lock-in.
Detection-Only Compliance
WCC deployments are detection-only for commercial customers. Counter-UAS mitigation (jamming, takeover, kinetic) is restricted by US statute to specific federal agencies. The legal boundary is scoped during the engagement.
Camera + SOC + MNS
Detection events integrate with the camera platform for visual confirmation, security operations workflow for response, and mass notification activation where applicable.
The six drone detection capability areas
Each capability scopes to environment, threat profile, and existing security infrastructure.
Dedrone DroneTracker
RF-primary detection with strong manufacturer-signature library (DJI dominant detection accuracy). Cloud platform with stadium and critical-infrastructure deployment patterns. Default choice for most commercial deployments.
DroneShield
Multi-sensor platform with RF, optical, and acoustic. RfPatrol handheld for tactical teams. DroneSentry-X portable. DroneSentry-C2 command and control. Strong defense and government installed base.
Aaronia Spectran
RF spectrum analysis approach with deep signal-level visibility. Strong for RF-engineering-led deployments and customers needing forensic-grade detection records. Standalone or integrated.
Fortem TrueView
Radar-primary detection. Effective in RF-noisy environments where spectrum-only approaches struggle. AI-enabled classification. Pairs with optical for visual confirmation. Defense and critical-infrastructure focus.
PTZ Slew Integration
Detection events trigger camera PTZ slewing for visual confirmation. Verkada, Avigilon, Axis, Hanwha. Optical track of the drone as it moves through detection area.
SOC + Procedure + FAA
Security operations workflow for event handling. Response procedure design with FAA reporting paths, local law enforcement coordination, and (federal customers only) authorized mitigation handoff. Tabletop exercise. Operator training.
Drone detection systems — common questions
Four primary sensor modalities, often combined. RF spectrum monitoring detects the control link between operator and drone (most common, works against DJI and most consumer platforms). Acoustic sensors detect propeller signature. Optical / EO-IR cameras detect the drone visually and through thermal contrast. Radar detects the airframe directly (best in RF-noisy environments). Multi-sensor platforms combine modalities for higher accuracy and lower false-positive rates.
No — commercial customers in the US are statutorily restricted to detection only. Counter-UAS mitigation (RF jamming, signal takeover, kinetic) is authorized only for specific federal agencies (DoD, DOJ, DHS, DOE, and limited others) under FAA Reauthorization Act sections 1602/1608. WCC deployments for commercial customers are detection-only. Federal customers or contractors operating under federal authority may have mitigation options — scoped on a per-engagement basis.
Yes — stadium and large-venue protection is the dominant commercial deployment pattern. The flow: detection sensors cover the airspace around the venue, FAA TFR violations during the event generate alerts with operator-location triangulation (where the system supports it), camera platform slews to optical confirmation, security operations coordinates with FAA and local law enforcement. The deployment may be event-day temporary, permanent, or hybrid. WCC scopes during the site survey.
FAA TFRs over stadium events, executive movements, and disaster sites prohibit drone flight in the restricted airspace. Without detection capability, TFR violations are unreported and untracked. Detection systems generate FAA-reportable evidence with timestamps, airframe identification (where possible), and operator triangulation. The reporting path is established with the local FSDO during deployment scoping.
Correctional facility C-UAS is a growing deployment category as drone-delivered contraband doubled 2020-2024. Detection-only systems identify drone approach, yard lockdown procedures activate, recovery teams deploy. Specific vendor selection often favors multi-modal platforms (DroneShield, Fortem) given the high stakes of false negatives. Federal correctional installations may have authorized mitigation through DOJ.
RF-primary single-site detection (Dedrone or equivalent): $80K-300K depending on coverage and subscription model. Multi-sensor platforms (DroneShield, Fortem) including radar and optical: $200K-1M+ per site. Event-day temporary deployments: $25K-150K per event. Critical infrastructure permanent deployments with multi-sensor and 24/7 SOC integration: $500K-3M+. WCC quotes after the site survey and threat-profile assessment.
C-UAS deployment across Southern California
WCC deploys drone detection across all six SoCal counties — stadiums, correctional facilities, critical infrastructure, data centers, tribal casinos, corporate, government. Headquartered in Chino.
Drone detection is RF, acoustic, optical, and radar combined.
WCC scopes the threat profile, selects the vendor and sensor mix, integrates with the camera platform for visual confirmation, ties into security operations workflow, and stays inside the detection-only legal boundary for commercial deployments. CSLB C-7 / C-10 / C-28. FAA-aware. Built for the perimeter that's overhead.