Counter-drone protection at the Formula 1 Austrian GP: Aaronia secured Zeltweg with Aartos DDS

Protection against illegal drones is becoming increasingly important at major events of all kinds. For counter-drone protection at the Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix last weekend – the safety of spectators, drivers and crews was at stake – those responsible therefore relied on Aartos DDS from Aaronia, a system also used in the military sector.

For those responsible for security at large public events, drone detection and defence should by now be an integral part of the security architecture. Drones pose a risk that should not be underestimated, even if they are only “harmless” hobby aircraft – not to mention their potential for targeted attacks. In this particular field, however, there is still a great lack of knowledge. This often means that only partly suitable solutions, or none at all, are deployed.

At the Formula 1 race in Zeltweg, things were different. Those responsible for security knew Aartos DDS not least from its successful deployment at “Airpower 2022”, which is why they entrusted Aaronia with drone protection. The company offers Aartos DDS for events of this kind as a complete service package that integrates seamlessly into an existing security architecture.

Counter-drone protection from a Mercedes Sprinter

The high-end version Aartos X9, installed in a custom-built Mercedes Sprinter, “was ready for operation within a few minutes and has everything needed for effective protection against drones”, according to a recent company press release. In addition to the position and speed of drones, the system also determines their altitude and provides high-speed detection of drone activity. To do this, it scans the entire frequency spectrum, including simultaneous scans of different frequencies, and thus tracks down all drones that use radio signals. Aartos provides the location of drone and operator in real time.

A central role is played by RTSA-Suite PRO, Aaronia's software. It can identify almost any commercially available drone and, if necessary, take it over and land it at a safe location. All data can be shared with the authorised security authorities via the mobile app. They, too, therefore always know in real time where drone and operator are located and can respond accordingly.

Stephan Kraschansky, CEO of Aaronia Austria, reports: “In addition to a large number of drone sightings at the edge of the designated no-fly zones, we unfortunately had to take action in several cases this time too”. He continues: “In most cases it was enough to point out their misconduct to the pilots. In a few cases, however, we were forced to take over the drones and land them at a safe location in order to avoid any risk. At the same time, those responsible for security then dealt with the drone pilots.”

In this way, any danger to spectators and drivers from illegally operated drones was reliably prevented at all times. The only crashes were on the track, between Formula 1 cars – on an exciting race weekend at the end of which George Russell profited from the others' misfortune to take the first win of the season for the Mercedes team.