A purpose-built C2 vs. a bundled one: How to choose the right command and control for drone detection?

Drones are rapidly transforming from recreational gadgets to security threats, and organisations are racing to deploy Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS) to defend their airspace. While much focus is usually placed on acquiring cutting-edge sensors and mitigation tools, one critical component is often neglected, or taken for granted:Command and Control (C2).

The overlooked factor in CUAS: Command and Control

Some sensor providers offer bundled C2 solutions as complimentary add-ons or at minimal cost, potentially leading to the misconception that C2 serves merely as a visual interface. This perspective overlooks the critical role of C2 as the central intelligence of a CUAS framework. Without a robust command and control system for drone detection, even the most sophisticated sensors may fail to deliver actionable intelligence.

Recent reports have highlighted the escalating misuse of drones, underscoring the necessity for effective CUAS solutions. In 2023, over 6,000 drone-related incidents were reported to UK police, with approximately 11% constituting criminal offenses. Notably, prisons in England and Wales experienced a significant rise in drone incidents, escalating from 122 in 2019 to 1,063 in 2023. This upward trend continued into 2024, with an average of about 130 drone incidents per month, leading to an expected total of more than 1,550 incidents by year's end.

In this article, we will examine the imperative of sourcing C2 from specialised vendors rather than relying on bundled options from hardware providers. Selecting an inappropriate C2 solution can compromise the integrity of your entire CUAS defence strategy.

What does Command and Control for drone detection actually do?

To grasp why specialist C2 is indispensable, one must first understand its true function within a CUAS ecosystem.

C2 is not merely a dashboard that passively displays sensor data—it is the fusion engine that synthesises, analyses, and prioritises information from diverse detection sources. A well-engineered C2 system transforms raw sensor inputs into a single, coherent operational picture, ensuring security teams can act with speed and precision.

A high-performance C2 for CUAS should be capable of:

• Data fusion – Integrating inputs from multiple sensor types (RF, radar, electro-optical, infrared, etc.) to form a comprehensive, real-time threat landscape.
• Real-time tracking – Continuously monitoring objects, predicting their movement, and assessing intent.
• Behavioural analysis – Differentiating between genuine threats and benign activity, reducing false positives.
• Decision-support tools – Delivering actionable intelligence to operators, enabling swift and informed responses.
• Multi-system interoperability – Seamlessly integrating with existing security infrastructure, facilitating coordination across different defence layers.

Without a sophisticated, AI-powered C2 at the core, even the most advanced sensors risk generating fragmented, unstructured data—leading to slow responses, an overload of false alarms, and, ultimately, security vulnerabilities.

4 Hidden risks of ‘free’ or bundled C2 from sensor vendors

Some hardware vendors offer C2 as a free or low-cost add-on, positioning it as a secondary feature rather than the backbone of a CUAS system. However, these bundled solutions often lack the sophistication required for real-world security operations, creating blind spots and operational inefficiencies.

1. Vendor lock-in and limited fusion capabilities

Most sensor manufacturers design their C2 systems to prioritise compatibility with their own hardware, leading to:

• Restricted cross-vendor sensor integration, limiting flexibility.
• Poor multi-sensor fusion, reducing accuracy in complex environments.
• Inability to adapt to evolving threats, making future upgrades costly or impractical.

2. Lack of AI-driven tracking and behavioural analysis

A free or bundled C2 is typically a passive interface rather than an intelligence engine. As a result, it often:

• Displays raw sensor data without advanced interpretation, increasing operator workload.
• Fails to correlate inputs from multiple sensors, leading to gaps in detection.
• Lacks predictive analytics, making it harder to anticipate and mitigate threats effectively.

By contrast, a specialist C2 continuously evolves, leveraging AI-powered behavioural analysis and predictive modelling to enhance detection accuracy and response speed.

3. Underfunded development, underwhelming performance

True C2 providers invest years and significant resources in:

• Refining tracking algorithms for superior accuracy.
• Training AI models on real-world drone behaviour, ensuring adaptive responses.
• Developing decision-support tools, enabling security teams to act swiftly and effectively.

Hardware vendors, however, often treat C2 as an afterthought, resulting in minimal investment, infrequent updates, and suboptimal performance.

4. Operational risks: False positives, missed threats, and slow responses

A low-quality C2 can severely undermine security operations by:

• Triggering excessive false positives, overwhelming operators.
• Failing to identify real threats, creating dangerous blind spots.
• Slowing decision-making, forcing operators to manually sift through complex data streams.

Ultimately, no matter how advanced the sensors, a weak C2 renders them ineffective—leaving organisations vulnerable to emerging drone threats.

The benefits of a purpose-built vs. bundled C2

A dedicated C2 provider brings years of focused investment, deep expertise, and rigorous real-world testing—capabilities that hardware vendors simply cannot replicate. Unlike bundled solutions, a specialist C2 is engineered to be the intelligence hub of a CUAS system, delivering superior situational awareness and faster, more effective decision-making. Key advantages of a specialist C2 include:

• True multi-sensor fusion – Seamlessly integrates data from all sensor types (RF, radar, electro-optical, infrared, etc.), eliminating vendor lock-in and enhancing detection accuracy.
• AI-powered behaviour analysis – Uses machine learning to differentiate genuine threats from benign activity, reducing false positives.
• Advanced tracking & prediction – Employs intelligent algorithms to anticipate drone movements, improving threat assessment and mitigation strategies.
• Decision-support tools – Provides operators with real-time recommendations, enabling faster and more confident responses.
• Continuous software evolution – Regular updates ensure the system adapts to new threats, keeping security teams one step ahead.

A sensor-agnostic, fusion-first C2 system ensures that organisations extract maximum value from their CUAS investment—delivering unmatched operational effectiveness in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Automation vs. human expertise in C2

The role of automation in C2 remains a subject of debate within the industry:

• Should C2 be fully automated, enabling non-specialist security teams to operate it with minimal intervention?
• Or should it require highly trained, on-site specialists to manage detections and responses?

Both approaches present challenges:

• Fully automated systems may struggle with edge cases, failing to correctly classify ambiguous threats—leading to an increase in false positives or, more critically, missed detections.
• Relying solely on human expertise ensures nuanced decision-making but comes at a high cost, requiring a team of trained specialists who may be difficult to recruit and scale across multiple locations.

The optimal solution lies in intelligent human-machine collaboration, where AI-driven automation enhances efficiency while leaving critical decision-making to experienced operators. This hybrid approach leverages automation for rapid threat detection and response while allowing human oversight to intervene in complex scenarios, ensuring a balance between speed, accuracy, and adaptability.

Remote expert monitoring with intelligent C2

The most effective CUAS Command and Control strategy blends automation with expert oversight, creating a scalable, cost-efficient, and operationally resilient model. This hybrid approach leverages:

• AI-Driven automation – Accelerates detection, tracking, and initial threat classification, reducing operator workload.
• Remote expert monitoring – Enables highly trained specialists to oversee multiple sites simultaneously, intervening only when human expertise is required.

By decentralising expertise and relying on intelligent automation for routine decision-making, organisations can maintain a high level of security without the overhead costs of on-site specialist teams. This approach ensures that C2 remains agile, adaptable, and prepared for evolving threats—striking the ideal balance between efficiency and operational control.

C2 is a mission-critical investment, not an afterthought

When evaluating a Counter-UAS solution, organisations must recognise C2 as the critical nerve centre of their defence system—not a secondary feature. A well-designed C2 dictates how effectively sensors and effectors work together, ultimately determining the success of the entire CUAS deployment.

• C2 is the backbone of a CUAS system – It enables seamless coordination between sensors and mitigation tools, ensuring a coherent and effective response.
• A ‘free’ C2 from a sensor vendor is not truly free – It often leads to inefficiencies, security vulnerabilities, and operational blind spots that compromise threat detection and mitigation.
• Choosing a specialist C2 provider ensures long-term success – Advanced multi-sensor integration, AI-powered intelligence, and real-time decision-support capabilities make all the difference in a high-stakes security environment.

For organisations protecting critical infrastructure, military installations, or high-security sites, the right C2 solution is a defining factor in whether a CUAS system succeeds or fails.