Drone Defence
Drone Defence monitors the airspace around your active drone for other aircraft. When a nearby aircraft is detected you see a live incursion card on the map showing its altitude, speed, heading, and distance so you can decide how to respond.
What Drone Defence Does
When enabled, Drone Defence receives position data for other aircraft operating in the vicinity and displays each one on the map as a directional icon. Two configurable distance thresholds determine how urgently you are alerted:
- Warning zone — the aircraft is nearby; you should be aware of it
- Critical zone — the aircraft is close; you should take action
When the incoming aircraft crosses into the critical zone the icon turns red and the map icon colour changes from amber to red to indicate elevated urgency.
Enabling Drone Defence
- Open the Navigation panel and select the Drone Defence section.
- Toggle Enable Drone Defence to on.
- Set the Airspace Radius — the outer boundary (in metres) within which you want to detect other aircraft.
- Set the Warning Distance — the inner radius at which the warning state activates.
- Set the Critical Distance — the innermost radius at which the critical alert activates.
- Click Save.
All three values are in metres. The airspace radius should be larger than the warning distance, which in turn should be larger than the critical distance.
Reading an Incursion Card
Each detected aircraft is shown on the map with a small card that floats in the direction of the incoming aircraft relative to your drone’s position. The card contains:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Aircraft name / ID | The device name if known, otherwise the device ID and type in parentheses |
| Altitude | Current altitude in metres |
| Speed | Horizontal speed in metres per second |
| Heading | Direction of travel in degrees |
| Distance | Distance from your drone in metres |
The map icon itself points in the direction the aircraft is heading. Its colour indicates which zone it is in:
| Colour | Zone |
|---|---|
| Amber | Warning — within the airspace radius but outside the critical distance |
| Red | Critical — within the critical distance |
The card automatically repositions itself (top-left, top-right, bottom-left, or bottom-right) so it does not obscure the area between your drone and the incoming aircraft.
How to Respond to an Incursion
Warning zone (amber):
- Note the incoming aircraft’s altitude, speed, and heading.
- Assess whether its trajectory will bring it closer.
- Continue monitoring; prepare to take action if the aircraft moves into the critical zone.
Critical zone (red):
- Consider pausing or aborting the active mission using E-Stop.
- If the conflicting aircraft is on a converging path, initiate a return-to-dock or safe location action.
- Contact the relevant authority or the other operator if identification is possible.
- Document the event in the In-App Feedback tool or your organisation’s incident log.
Limitations
Drone Defence relies on the other aircraft transmitting a detectable signal. Aircraft that are not transmitting — or that are operating outside the detection range — will not appear.
Drone Defence is an advisory tool. It does not automatically prevent collisions or override mission commands. You remain responsible for maintaining safe separation and complying with all applicable airspace regulations.