C-UAS deployed over Madrid to protect Spanish football fans

Spanish National Police deployed counter-uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS) technology to protect fans who gathered to watch the European Football Championship final match on July 14. Tens of thousands of football fans gathered in Madrid, for example, at the Plaza de Colón and Puente del Rey, where the city council had installed large screens to show the action as Spain took on England.

Spanish tech media outlet, El Radar, reported that the National Police Air Unit deployed an Airbus helicopter and DJI drones as well as the C-UAS technology from DJI and ASDT. ASDT’s technology is part of the national police and army’s Condor programme. The police established officers in one of the towers near Plaza de Colón and another at ground level in Madrid Río. Both teams flew drones to monitor and capture images. 

The airspace was closed to drones not engaged in security operations. Nevertheless, before the match got underway, the police unit detected the first unauthorised drone. As the game progressed, a police drone picked up images of members of the crowd throwing flares into the air. The drone was flown higher to avoid being hit by a flare. Further unauthorised drone flights were detected in different locations around Madrid, mostly after the match ended and the crowd celebrated victory. 

The police’s air unit is used to deploying C-UAS at football matches and regularly uses the technology at national league and Champions League matches, El Radar reports. The systems are designed to safely disable the drone and return it to the ground without destroying it, which could cause damage over a crowd of people.