DroneShield Expands Urban Airspace Security for FIFA World Cup 2026 in Kansas City
What to Know
- The project involves collaboration between DroneShield, Airspace Link, Echodyne, and Kansas City Police to establish a comprehensive drone detection network.
- It emphasizes regional, multi-site deployment to provide persistent visibility and coordinated response capabilities across urban jurisdictions.
- The system supports both security for FIFA World Cup 2026 and long-term public safety infrastructure for managing growing drone activity.
KANSAS CITY, Missouri -- DroneShield is expanding urban airspace security capabilities ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026 through a regional, multi-site deployment designed to support persistent low-altitude airspace awareness across the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The initiative is led by the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) in partnership with Airspace Link’s AirHub Portal and regional public safety stakeholders. According to DroneShield, the deployment combines operational airspace coordination, distributed radar coverage, radio frequency-based drone detection and integrated situational awareness capabilities to support security operations across multiple jurisdictions ahead of the international tournament.
DroneShield said its role in the deployment is to serve as the primary detection and threat response layer. The company’s technology supports multi-site airspace awareness workflows through radio frequency sensing, sensor fusion, operational coordination and counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities.
The deployment is designed for dense urban environments where authorized drone operations, public safety aviation activity, media aircraft and potential unauthorized drone activity may occur at the same time. According to the company, the system supports coordinated airspace awareness and operational response across these overlapping activities throughout the broader security environment.
“Ten years ago, most cities weren’t thinking about drone threats at this scale. Kansas City is now helping pioneer a layered airspace security model built for the realities of modern urban environments,” said Tom Adams, director of public safety at DroneShield and a retired Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent specializing in counterterrorism and public safety.
Major Greg Williams of the Kansas City Police Department said the effort is intended to support both tournament security and long-term public safety planning.
“Protecting FIFA World Cup 2026 requires a new level of airspace coordination,” Williams said. “Kansas City is building a long-term framework that helps public safety agencies safely manage growing drone activity across the metro area.”
The deployment incorporates radar technology from Echodyne alongside DroneShield’s detection and operational awareness systems. According to the participating organizations, the layered airspace security architecture is intended to provide persistent visibility across the operational environment.
Officials and technology partners involved in the project said the initiative is designed to support coordinated airspace awareness, authorized drone operations, drone detection and public safety response activities ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026.
Unlike traditional single-site security deployments, the Kansas City model emphasizes regional airspace awareness across multiple operational areas and jurisdictions. According to the organizations involved, the approach is intended to support both major event security requirements and long-term public safety operations.
“Maintaining visibility across complex urban airspace environments requires persistent awareness and layered sensing capabilities that can support dynamic operational conditions,” said Eben Frankenberg, CEO of Echodyne. “Kansas City represents an important example of how public safety agencies and technology partners are working together to support scalable, multi-site airspace security operations ahead of major public events.”
Michael Healander, co-founder, president and CEO of Airspace Link, said the initiative extends beyond event security planning.
“What Kansas City is building is larger than a World Cup security deployment. This is foundational infrastructure for the future of coordinated urban drone operation,” Healander said.