Drone detection systems protect very different places in very different ways. An airport needs a live track to keep flights moving. A stadium needs to find an operator before the drone reaches the crowd. A prison needs to see a contraband delivery before it lands, and a police department needs a location and evidence it can act on. The best drone detection systems adapt to each mission, and that is the idea behind AirSight's AirGuard: one open platform, configured with the sensors each site needs.
At AirSight, we build drone detection systems for airports, stadiums, live events, correctional facilities, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and corporate and university campuses. Here is how each one uses AirGuard, and what the right system delivers.
Airports: Keeping Flights Moving
Drone reports near airports keep climbing. The FAA's public records list 568 from July through September 2026, and on September 17 the FAA paused departures at Reagan National Airport for about 20 minutes after two flight crews reported a drone near a runway. Detection reveals far more than people ever report: when the TSA tested detection at LAX, it said there had been about 90 visual sightings and roughly 5,200 technical detections within three miles of the airport between 2021 and 2022.
A drone detection system gives airport operations a live track and the pilot's location, and AirGuard adds an optional ADS-B view of manned aircraft alongside drones, so hold-or-continue decisions rest on facts. See drone detection for airports.
Stadiums and Live Events: Keeping the Game On
The NFL told Congress it counted 2,845 drone incursions into stadium airspace in 2023, and in January 2025 a drone paused a playoff game in Baltimore, as DroneXL reported. During the 2026 World Cup, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security seized more than 700 drones in restricted airspace across 11 U.S. host cities before they could disrupt the tournament, according to the FAA.
Venues use drone detection systems to find operators fast and keep play running whenever it is safe. AirSight supported Camping World Stadium during three major sporting events, including the NFL Pro Bowl (case study), and Louisiana State Police called AirSight's technology a force multiplier during the Super Bowl LIX public safety deployment. See drone detection for spectator sports and live events.
Correctional Facilities: Stopping Contraband Before It Lands
Prisons are battling nightly drone drops of drugs and other contraband. Department of Justice and FBI officials have testified that drone incidents at federal prisons rose from 23 in 2018 to 479 in 2024, as Facilities Dive has reported in coverage that also features AirSight's detection technology. A drone detection system shows correctional staff delivery attempts as they happen, where the pilot is, and the patterns behind repeat drops.
Correctional agencies also gained new options in 2026: the federal rule that took effect July 1 covers state and local correctional agencies alongside law enforcement. Learn more about our correctional airspace work with Bosch and Echodyne and drone detection for prisons.
Law Enforcement: Turning Drone Calls Into Action
Since the Safer Skies Act and its July 2026 implementing rule, state and local agencies have a clear path to counter-drone authority, as our SAFER SKIES Act explainer describes. Every response starts with seeing the drone and finding the operator.
Police departments use AirGuard to locate pilots and build evidence, and the City of Chula Vista chose AirGuard to provide third-party tracking for all of its police department's drone flights (case study). With AirSight x Skydio, detection data goes straight to Skydio so operators can launch an autonomous drone that streams live intelligence to officers. Public agencies can also fund detection through the FEMA Counter-UAS Grant Program. See drone detection for law enforcement.
Critical Infrastructure: Watching the Sites That Never Stop
Federal agencies have urged energy and other infrastructure operators to plan for drones since a 2021 joint bulletin described a July 2020 incident near a Pennsylvania substation as the first known case of a modified drone likely used to target U.S. energy infrastructure, as CNN reported.
Infrastructure operators use drone detection systems for around-the-clock awareness and a documented record of activity, the kind of record a site would need under the FAA's proposed process for drone flight restrictions. AirSight and Convergint have formed a strategic partnership to secure critical infrastructure airspace. See drone detection for critical infrastructure.
Corporations and Campuses: Protecting People and Sensitive Work
Corporate headquarters, research sites, and universities use drone detection systems to protect employees, students, and confidential work. The University of Kentucky is building a safer campus with AirSight's drone detection (case study). See drone detection for corporations.
One Platform, Configured for Your Mission
Every industry above runs on the same AirGuard platform, configured differently. That flexibility comes from AirSight's open, hardware-agnostic approach:
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The right sensors for each site. Coverage builds from Remote ID to RF direction finding to radar with a visual camera, and data from a $500 sensor or a military-grade radar becomes one coherent airspace picture.
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Tailored deployments. From a lightweight mobile setup for an event to a permanent multi-layered grid for a fixed site, every bundle is designed for the mission.
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One screen for every team. AirGuard fuses all sensors into a single pane of glass that integrates with existing security platforms.
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Support that stays. AirSight provides in-depth training and 24/7 support, and every sensor is field-tested by our engineering team before it reaches a client.
Explore more results on our case studies page.
Find the Right Drone Detection System for Your Industry
Whatever your site protects, the right drone detection system shows you the drones that matter, where their pilots are, and what to do next. AirGuard brings that picture to airports, stadiums, prisons, police departments, critical sites, and campuses, built from the sensors each one needs.
Tell us about your site. Book a demo and we will show you how AirGuard fits your mission.
