By: Dawn Zoldi
Software has become the true center of gravity in counter-UAS (C-UAS). In a world where drone threats evolve by the week, continuous software updates and software-defined detection and mitigation, as well as multi-sensor command and control now determine whether defenders will keep pace…or fall behind.
Dynamic Threats Demand Dynamic Software
The global UAS threat continues to escalate in both volume and sophistication. New platforms, protocols and tactics emerge at a relentless pace. Unauthorized drone activity around U.S. critical infrastructure, borders and major events has surged into the tens of thousands of incidents per year. Each wave looks different from the last. Static, hardware-bound countermeasures simply cannot adapt fast enough.
In the United States, at the southern border alone, according to the Department of Homeland Security, authorities detected more than 27,000 drones within 500 meters in just the last half of 2024. Drone incursions near U.S. stadiums nearly doubled from about 1,300 to 2,300 between 2021 and 2024, and there have been more than 3,000 drone events near airports since 2021.
The Islamic State moved in just a few years from using off‑the‑shelf quadcopters for propaganda imagery to turning those same commercial systems into bomb‑drop platforms and improvised munitions carriers. These terrorists launched dozens of attacks per month at the peak, across both Iraq and Syria.
But the Russia‑Ukraine war perhaps most clearly illustrates the current relentless drone innovation cycle. Ukraine has scaled to producing millions of drones annually, fielding distinct designs optimized for missions from long‑range strike to trench reconnaissance. Both sides now deploy low-cost attack drones that can be refreshed on software timelines. In response to electronic warfare (EW), forces have introduced workarounds, which show the limitations of fixed‑function jammers and sensors that cannot be rapidly reprogrammed and updated.
In every scenario, each incremental change, different payload, improvised release mechanism, altered frequencies, etc., all chip away at static, hardware-bound defenses. They simply cannot rapidly ingest new signatures or behaviors without substantial rework.
RF-cyber C-UAS systems treat every new drone model or protocol as a software challenge, not a mere hardware swap. Updates extend coverage to new drone models, refine detection capabilities and enhance mitigation options. This future-proofs C-UAS deployment without a constant cycle of physical nuts-and-bolts upgrades and gives defenders a decisive advantage.
Continuous Updates as a Force Multiplier
The most effective counter-drone platforms operate as living systems that grow smarter over time. D-Fend Solutions, for example, continuously enhances its EnforceAir system with new software releases that expand its library of supported drone models and protocols. Every operator benefits from the ongoing work of a global team of researchers, developers and RF and cyber experts who track emerging threats and embed that knowledge directly into the product.
Defenders gain new capabilities and resilience. This preserves the tactical edge against actors who are constantly innovating in a never ending game of leapfrog.
SDR RF Agility: Future-Proofing in Software
Software-defined radio (SDR) -based RF-cyber solutions like EnforceAir turn RF hardware into a flexible, software-driven platform that can evolve with the challenges in the environment. Instead of treating the RF chain as a static asset, software detects, interprets, classifies and acts on complex signals to distinguish between friendly and hostile drones. This enables precise and proportional mitigation.
As new potentially adversarial drone models and protocols appear, updated RF detection and mitigation capabilities can be pushed directly to systems in the field. Operators gain the ability to counter novel threat profiles, without ripping and replacing antennas, radios or kits every time the threat community innovates.
Multi-Layered Defense with EnforceAir PLUS
Multi-layered, software-defined defense amplifies the value of those continuous software updates. EnforceAir PLUS fuses RF cyber-takeover with radar detection and optional, software-defined smart jamming into a unified workflow. Instead of forcing operators to jump between separate tools and displays, a single software environment coordinates detection, tracking, identification, classification, decision support and mitigation from end to end.
This architecture supports proportional, non-kinetic responses by prioritizing takeover and controlled landings over brute-force kinetic or indiscriminate jamming. Software orchestration makes it possible to steer rogue drones to safe zones, preserve evidence and protect legitimate operations, including friendly drones, within the same airspace.
Multi-Sensor Command and Control As A Software Problem
Modern airspace security has become a command-and-control problem. Protecting airports, borders and critical infrastructure requires unifying multiple sensors and effectors into one coherent operational picture. That is precisely the role of D-Fend Solutions’ Multi-Sensor Command & Control (MSC2) system, a software-defined C2 layer that turns multiple EnforceAir sensors, as well as the sensors of others, into a coordinated defense network.
MSC2 aggregates detections from diverse EnforceAir nodes and presents a single, clean and real-time view of the airspace. It eliminates duplicate tracks while preserving track quality. The software then selects the optimal sensor to perform mitigation based on range, geometry, signal conditions and mission rules. It can also handle multiple simultaneous incursions at machine speed. In short, MSC2 shows what happens when software becomes the backbone of C-UAS operations:
- It scales from a single EnforceAir deployment to a constellation of stationary, vehicular or tactical units without multiplying operator workload.
- It standardizes the operator experience through a common interface, shortening training timelines and reducing cognitive load in high-stress environments.
- It benefits continuously from software updates.
Instead of a patchwork of point solutions, EnforceAir and MSC2 deliver an adapting ecosystem. It improves over time as new data, new threats and new capabilities feed back into the software.
Software as the Strategic Center of C-UAS
All of this points to one simple reality: in counter-UAS, hardware may be necessary, but software has become decisive. The enduring value lies in the code that can be changed overnight, not just the box bolted to a mast or vehicle. Continuous updates, SDR-based agility, multi-layered RF-cyber defense and software-defined multi-sensor C2 allow defenders to match the speed of innovation on the threat side.
For security leaders, that changes the acquisition calculus. Selecting a C-UAS platform can no longer be a one-time hardware procurement. It must be a commitment to a software and intelligence pipeline that can deliver fresh capabilities on a regular basis. Organizations that prioritize future-proof, software-defined systems will be best positioned to secure airports, borders, critical infrastructure and public events as drone threats continue to evolve at the speed of software.