The problem is not more kit. It is making the kit work together
Drone protection has become one of the fastest-growing areas of UK defence spending. The Defence Investment Plan commits over £750m to short-range drone protection for the homeland and deployed forces. Restricted airspace now covers 50 defence sites, with around 170 more expected, alongside £470m for site security technology (UK Defence Journal).
That investment brings in sensors and effectors from many suppliers, each with its own screen, its own data format and its own way of being tasked. The MOD's own guidance on its counter-drone standard names the problem directly: "integration of sensors and effectors is time-consuming and costly", and proprietary interfaces make it hard to replace or upgrade individual parts (GOV.UK).
Without an orchestration layer, operators watch several screens, compare tracks by eye and relay decisions by radio. Detections are duplicated, friendly drones raise false alarms, and the time between first detection and a coordinated response is lost in hand-offs.
What orchestration means in counter-drone
Orchestration turns separate devices into one system that senses, decides and acts together. In Consilium it runs as a repeatable chain, configured to your site, your kit and your rules of engagement.
- ConnectBring radars, RF detectors, Remote ID receivers, cameras and effectors from different suppliers into one environment through open standards and adapters.
- FuseCombine detections into one track per drone, check it against the register of friendly drones, and locate the pilot where the sensors allow.
- DecideA playbook applies your rules: who must be told, what evidence to show, which response options are allowed here, now, for this threat.
- ActThe operator approves the response. Consilium tasks the right camera, sensor, patrol or effector through that system's own control interface.
- RecordEvery detection, decision and action is logged for review, evidence and lessons learned.
How the Espanaro stack fits together
Consilium is the orchestrator: the common picture, playbooks, alerting and operator approval. Cognisight adds AI detection and classification on camera and sensor feeds. Pulse Sentinel shows whether each sensor is healthy and how far to trust its output, so a degraded radar does not quietly weaken the picture. ByteHarbour and HarbourGuard protect feeds and tracks with data-centric security and decide, by policy, which partners and user groups may see them.
Each runs on its own or together, and none of them requires you to replace the sensors and effectors you have already bought. Consilium can also share the counter-drone picture with the other C2 systems around it, such as base security, the air picture and higher headquarters. See C2 integration. Read more on Consilium and on decision advantage.
The orchestration layer, not the effector
Espanaro is deliberately supplier-neutral. We do not make effectors, so we have no reason to favour one. That keeps your choice of kit open and lets you add or swap components as the threat changes.
| Espanaro does | Espanaro does not |
|---|---|
| Connect sensors, cameras and effectors from different suppliers into one picture | Make radars, jammers, interceptors or other effectors |
| Fuse detections into one track per drone and flag friendly drones from a register | Claim detection ranges or defeat rates for third-party equipment |
| Run playbooks that put the right decision to the right operator, by policy | Remove the operator. Every effect is authorised by a person, as your rules require |
| Request effects through each effector's own control interface | Bypass an effector's own safety, safeguards or legal authorisations |
| Share protected feeds with partners by attribute, and record every decision | Lock you into a single supplier's kit |
Open standards, including SAPIENT
SAPIENT is the MOD's open architecture for networking counter-drone sensors and effectors, and NATO has trialled it with more than 70 connections between counter-drone and command and control systems (GOV.UK). It defines how components exchange information. The fusion and command node then has to turn those messages into a single picture and coordinated tasking (GOV.UK).
That fusion and command role is where Consilium sits. It integrates SAPIENT sources alongside ONVIF and RTSP cameras, MQTT devices, APIs and vendor-specific adapters. At CWIX 2026 Espanaro integrated SAPIENT cameras, protected their feeds with data-centric security and shared them between two NATO nations.
Where it is used
See a playbook in action
This demonstration shows a site team building a counter-drone playbook without code: a no-entry zone, an AI step that confirms the drone before anyone is warned, and a scripted response put to the operator.
Common questions
What is counter-drone orchestration?
Counter-drone orchestration is the software layer that connects sensors and effectors from different suppliers and coordinates them as one system: one track per drone, one decision put to the right operator, and a coordinated response that every device supports. Espanaro's Consilium is built to do this.
Do we have to replace the counter-drone equipment we already own?
No. Consilium is designed to orchestrate the sensors, cameras and effectors you already have, through open standards and vendor adapters, and to let you add or swap components later without starting again.
Does Espanaro make effectors or jammers?
No. Espanaro provides the orchestration and mission layer. We do not make effectors, so we stay supplier-neutral. Consilium requests effects through each effector's own control interface, with operator approval.
Who decides when to respond to a drone?
A person. Consilium playbooks put each response to an authorised operator, with the evidence needed to decide. Human in the loop or on the loop is configured to match your rules of engagement and authorisations.
Does Consilium work with SAPIENT?
Consilium integrates SAPIENT sources alongside ONVIF and RTSP cameras, MQTT devices, APIs and vendor adapters. At CWIX 2026 Espanaro integrated SAPIENT cameras, protected their feeds with data-centric security and shared them between two NATO nations.
Can any site use drone jamming?
No. In the UK, defeat measures such as RF jamming are restricted to authorised organisations. Consilium supports detection, decision support and coordinated response by those entitled to act, and records each decision.
Can we share drone tracks and video with partners or allies?
Yes. ByteHarbour and HarbourGuard protect feeds and tracks with data-centric security and release them by attribute, such as nation, unit, role or location, so each partner sees only what it is entitled to.
How do we get started with counter-drone orchestration?
Start with a short demonstration and a discovery conversation about your site, the sensors and effectors you already have and your rules. We then configure Consilium to your kit and run a pilot.