Securing One of the World’s Premier Defense Exhibitions with Dedrone

Every two years, DSEI (Defense and Security Equipment International) brings together tens of thousands of military / defense professionals from around the world. Given the event’s global profile and its proximity to London City Airport, organizers needed to address the growing risk of unauthorized drone activity that could threaten its exhibitors and attendees with a solution to:

• Monitor and protect complex urban airspace adjacent to an active international airport and busy flight corridor
• Integrate seamlessly with multi-agency security and policing operations
• Provide real-time alerts and forensic data to support law enforcement

Dedrone by Axon deployed their counter-drone trailer, DedroneRapidResponse, near the main conference entrance along with additional sensors near the ExCeL to deliver comprehensive airspace security for the venue and the surrounding area.

From September 1–13, 2025, Dedrone systems recorded:

• 162 total flights detected and tracked
• 12.5 average flights per day
• 29% of alerts were not DJI
• Most active day: 23 flghts in a single day, when 16 drones within 1Km of Excel / DSEI

Unmatched Detection Performance

Dedrone identified substantial drone activity, only some of which could be corroborated by other local RF systems — including flights that entered the restricted “red zone” airspace near the event and within the London City Airport approach corridor. Dedrone’s presence provided immediate situational awareness and data-backed insights for the multi-agency security team. The deployment proved that mobile counter-UAS capabilities can protect large-scale, high-profile events effectively — without disrupting operations or attendee experience.

Key Findings:

• >35% of alerts were at night
• Police deployed on three separate occasions in direct response to Dedrone detections
• Non DJI drones pose a risk to airspace security as well as dJI drones
• Drone users are not flying safely in areas of high aircraft use