Unlocking the Full Potential of Multi-Role Sensors in Counter-UAS Solutions

Critical infrastructure sites are facing more threats than ever before that challenge their ability to stay safe and operational. These modern threats range from unauthorised drone incursions to sophisticated perimeter breaches and need more than traditional, siloed security solutions. According to a preliminary analysis of FAA data, there were over 2,000 drone sightings reported in 2023.

@Simon Trist, Chief Operating Officer at OSL, brings extensive experience in technology and operations leadership across industries like aviation, renewable energy, and smart cities. Since joining OSL in May 2023, he has been driving business transformation, focusing on improving safety, sustainability, and situational awareness. Simon shared his insights on how multi-role sensor systems are reshaping safety, enhancing operational effectiveness, and streamlining threat detection across complex environments like airports.

Historically, organisations have used separate systems like radars for perimeter control, cameras for vehicle monitoring, and dedicated CUAS multi-role sensor solutions for drone detection. While these systems are great at what they do, a fragmented approach can mean extra hardware costs and operational inefficiencies, stretching budgets and making response harder.

Now, let’s take the example of a high-traffic international airport. Legacy systems will have separate sensor networks for airside movement tracking, restricted zone monitoring, and runway safety. These systems will operate in isolation, rarely communicating or sharing data with each other. This lack of integration means poor situational awareness, higher maintenance costs, and operational complexity. But in an era of multi-faceted and dynamic threats, siloed systems are becoming unsustainable.

To address these challenges, more organisations are moving to multi-role sensor systems, where each sensor technology can do multiple tasks at once. Instead of deploying separate devices for each function, these multi-role systems can switch seamlessly between monitoring drones in restricted airspace, tracking ground vehicles, perimeter intrusions and environmental monitoring.

But multi-role sensors do more than just consolidate tasks. They’re a strategic move to a unified safety and security platform. By linking functions that were previously separate, they allow security teams to manage a wider range of risks and more complex incidents without extra hardware. This makes them a smart investment for sites with complex and changing security needs and future-proofs the organisation against emerging threats.

Multi-Role Sensors as the Foundation of a Unified Safety Strategy

Multi-role sensors are set to change how organisations approach security and safety. By being sensor agnostic, these advanced systems offer a single solution to multiple threats. Unlike single-purpose devices that are limited to one task, multi-role sensors are designed to do many things, so you get more operational efficiency and broader safety coverage.

Let’s say you have a radar system that was originally deployed for UAV detection. With multi-role capabilities, that same system can be configured to detect ground-level perimeter breaches, track vehicle movement, and support other situational awareness initiatives. Similarly, advanced cameras with intelligent analytics can switch between monitoring for unauthorised access, UAV detection, detecting suspicious activity, and assisting in incident investigation, all within the same hardware. This simplifies your technology infrastructure and reduces the need for multiple standalone systems, which means big cost savings.

Integrating Perimeter Intrusion Detection to Expand Multi-Role Capabilities

Combining counter UAS capability and perimeter intrusion detection systems (PIDS) can really make a difference in protecting high-risk sites like airports, refineries, and power plants. By pooling the sensor resources for drone detection, vehicle tracking and perimeter security all in one system, the total amount of equipment can be reduced and the task of monitoring the facilities can be simplified.

Imagine a multi-role sensor system at a critical infrastructure site, handling both UAV detection and PIDS. In this scenario, daylight and thermal cameras, radars, and RF sensors detect and classify both aerial threats and ground-level perimeter incidents. AI-driven algorithms then prioritise the sensor resources onto these events based on specific threat assessment protocols, to provide the best possible information about the overall situation. This centralised approach enables more efficient monitoring and a faster response to multiple types of threats.

Combining PIDS and Counter UAS into a multi-role sensor framework reduces the need for duplicate hardware and simplifies data flows, enabling a complete 3D view of the facility. This holistic approach gives the security team the ability to respond to both individual and combined ground and aerial threats.

Moreover, multi-role systems are inherently versatile by design, which allows them to adapt to evolving safety needs without the necessity for additional hardware investments.

Maximising ROI and Reducing Costs with Multi-Role Sensors

Beyond enhancing safety and operational efficiency, there are significant economic benefits of multi-role sensors in CUAS applications. Investment in such adaptable systems is a cost-effective way to achieve layered security and also a strategic move that reduces long-term expenses associated with hardware acquisition, maintenance, and personnel training.

Traditional security setups, which often rely on multiple specialised systems, require substantial upfront capital investments and ongoing maintenance costs. Each additional system introduces its own set of expenses, from purchasing and installation to specialised training for staff.

In contrast, multi-role systems streamline these expenses by consolidating multiple functions into a single platform. Organisations can significantly enhance their return on investment by minimising the duplication of assets.

For example, an airport that employs the same sensors for both UAV detection and ground surveillance can significantly reduce the number of devices needed, along with the associated capital expenditure and operational costs. This consolidation also simplifies the operational workflow and makes it easier for security personnel to monitor and respond to threats efficiently, thereby enabling a reduction in staffing levels.

Additionally, the simplified training requirements mean that staff can become proficient more quickly, which can further enhance operational efficiency.

In an environment where both security threats and budget constraints are on the rise, multi-role sensors offer a pragmatic solution that aligns financial prudence with advanced protective capabilities. Reducing the number of standalone systems enables facilities to achieve comprehensive coverage with a lower total cost of ownership over time.

Real-World Example: How Multi-Role Sensors Can Improve Airport Security Hub

A multi-role sensor system enhances efficiency by reducing the need for multiple, dedicated sensors. Instead of relying on numerous high-resolution cameras for continuous perimeter monitoring, the system uses lower-grade sensors like radar or acoustic fibre for general coverage. When a potential threat is detected, the system cues a high-performance camera to capture detailed images, enabling better classification and threat assessment.

Similarly, a single radar system can detect both airborne and ground-based threats, eliminating the need for separate radars for perimeter intrusion detection and CUAS. This integrated approach simplifies operations, reduces redundancy, and improves overall safety coverage.

In the security control room of a busy international airport, one operator handles multiple terminals, where threats like suspicious drones, unauthorised vehicles, or perimeter breaches demand constant attention. Traditionally, managing these different threats would require separate systems and multiple operators, leading to fragmented responses and increased complexity.

AI-driven prioritization further enhances this by assessing and ranking threats based on urgency, allowing operators to focus on real risks more effectively. This streamlined approach integrates all critical information into one interface, improving situational awareness and operational efficiency.

Addressing Prioritization Challenges in Multi-Role Sensor Systems

With a multi-role sensor system, you have to prioritise multiple threats at once. Sensors in this system need to switch focus between different security concerns quickly, which can be a complex task. For example, a sensor set up to detect UAVs also needs to be able to handle immediate perimeter breaches or ground-based intrusions. This changing demand requires intelligent prioritisation mechanisms to stop safety personnel from being overwhelmed with too much or irrelevant data.

A good multi-role sensor system tackles this using AI-driven algorithms as real-time decision-making tools. These advanced algorithms filter out non-urgent alerts so security teams can focus on the high-priority threats that need attention now. The system ensures the most critical threats are addressed first by continuously assessing and ranking risks across different functions, from vehicle compliance to operational safety. This filtering is critical in high-risk situations where time is everything, and safety outcomes depend on it.

Also, these systems break down operational silos by consolidating data across security, operations and compliance teams. The AI and structured prioritisation enables a smooth flow of critical information. This cross-functional response gives situational awareness so all relevant teams are informed and can act. Better communication makes security measures more effective and resource allocation more efficient.

Preparing for the Future With Adaptable Multi-Role Sensor Systems

The multi-role sensor approach isn’t just about meeting today’s safety needs but future-proofing for technological advancements. As industries start to use autonomous drones for site monitoring, a versatile sensor infrastructure is required to ensure the safe operation of these new drone operations, as well as handle traditional security tasks. By using a multi-role approach, critical infrastructure sites can adapt to changing operational requirements while being safe today.

Conclusion

As threats to critical infrastructure grow increasingly diverse and complex, investing in multi-role sensor systems allows organisations to adapt and respond to evolving safety challenges.

By consolidating UAV detection with other tasks that are currently done by separate systems, such as perimeter security and vehicle compliance monitoring, multi-role sensors give you better situational awareness and more operational flexibility. This integrated approach not only reduces the total cost of ownership of your safety and security monitoring systems, but also enables faster and more coordinated responses across multiple security functions.

Multi-role sensor systems give safety managers a framework that covers today’s needs while anticipating future security requirements, so that organisations can ensure a robust safety posture that’s prepared for the demands of tomorrow’s security landscape.