Expanding interceptor and autonomous-flight technologies developed for defense applications to continuous protection of energy, power, airport, port and other critical infrastructure
Terra Drone Corporation (“Terra Drone”), a leading drone and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) technology company headquartered in Japan, announces that it has begun developing a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System (C-UAS）designed to protect critical infrastructure—including oil and gas facilities, power plants, transmission and distribution infrastructure, airports, ports, telecommunications facilities and logistics hubs—from intrusion and attacks by malicious drones.
The system will build on technologies Terra Drone is developing for defense applications, including interceptor drones, autonomous flight, AI-based target tracking, sensor integration and command-and-control (C2). These technologies will be adapted into an integrated solution optimized for the safety, operational requirements and economics of civilian critical infrastructure protection.
Background
Drone threats are no longer limited to military facilities during armed conflict. As drones become increasingly affordable and capable, they are emerging as a tangible risk to critical infrastructure that supports economic and social activity, including oil refineries, power plants, electrical grids, ports and airports.
The Russia-Ukraine war has also demonstrated that the impact of drone operations can extend beyond the countries directly involved in a conflict.
In Moldova, Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in southern Ukraine led to the shutdown of the Vulcănești–Isaccea transmission line, one of the country’s key power links. Drone debris also had to be identified and cleared during restoration work.[1] In Romania, a maritime drone exploded near an oil storage facility at the Port of Constanța on the Black Sea. Separately, another maritime drone carrying explosives was neutralized near the Neptun Deep offshore gas development project.
These incidents demonstrate that critical infrastructure protection cannot be treated solely as a response to be activated after a crisis begins. Instead, permanent protection and rapid-response capabilities need to be established during peacetime.
Against this backdrop, the European Commission published its “Action Plan on Drone and Counter-Drone Security” in February 2026 in response to growing risks from drone incursions, airport disruption and threats to critical infrastructure, borders and public spaces across Europe.[2]
Overview of the C-UAS System Under Development
Terra Drone’s C-UAS system will be designed as an integrated solution that detects, identifies and tracks suspicious drones entering low-altitude airspace around critical infrastructure and, where necessary, responds using interceptor drones and other countermeasures.
Key development areas include:
Detection, identification and tracking of suspicious drones through integration with radar, RF and EO/IR sensors
C2 capabilities that fuse data from multiple sensors to support threat assessment and response decisions
Interceptor drones utilizing high-speed flight, autonomous navigation and AI-based target tracking
Layered defense combining non-kinetic countermeasures, such as electronic disruption, with kinetic measures including interceptor drones
System design tailored to each facility’s terrain, safety requirements and operating environment
Airspace management leveraging Terra Drone’s expertise in UTM (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management)
Unlike military facilities, civilian critical infrastructure is often surrounded by employees, local residents, vehicles, aircraft, vessels and other third parties. Terra Drone will therefore develop the system with an emphasis not only on interception capability, but also on operational safety, prevention of unintended engagement, reduced operator workload, integration with existing security systems and maintainability.
Why Terra Drone Is Developing This System
Terra Drone has built a global business spanning industrial drones, infrastructure inspection, drone operations, UTM and interceptor drones for defense applications.
Protecting critical infrastructure with C-UAS requires more than a standalone interceptor. Detection, decision-making, response and airspace management must be designed as an integrated system.
By combining the interceptor and autonomous-flight technologies being developed in its defense business with the operational management, safety management, infrastructure inspection and UTM expertise accumulated across its civilian drone businesses, Terra Drone aims to establish a low-altitude protection platform capable of safeguarding critical infrastructure continuously during peacetime.
The C-UAS market is expanding beyond defense and government applications as demand grows for the protection of airports, ports, energy facilities, public spaces and privately operated critical sites. MarketsandMarkets forecasts that the global C-UAS market will grow from USD 6.64 billion in 2025 to USD 20.31 billion by 2030, representing a compound annual growth rate of 25.1%.[3]
Future Development
Terra Drone will continue advancing interceptor-drone technologies for defense applications while working with critical infrastructure operators, sensor and radar companies, security providers, governments and regulatory authorities to conduct use-case-specific demonstrations and system integration.
Initial target sectors include oil and gas, electric power, airports and ports, telecommunications, logistics and data centers.
In the longer term, Terra Drone aims to deploy the system globally as a low-altitude protection platform providing continuous protection for critical infrastructure during peacetime.
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