Barcelona’s Spotify Camp Nou stadium introduces new anti-drone system

The Kuppel system was introduced in the city of Barcelona in 2020, the first European city to do so

In the coming weeks, the iconic Spotify Camp Nou stadium, home grounds to FC Barcelona, will begin the installation of new sensors and antennae – elements that form part of an anti-drone detection system. The purpose of the system is to prevent the unwanted and unlicensed operation of the remotely-controlled flying machines in the area and increase the safety of citizens.

The implementation of the anti-drone system is not new itself, but rather represents an upgrade of a previous system, which has been in operation since 2017. The new Kuppel system is in fact a project that was set up in the city of Barcelona in 2020, making it the first European city to implement such a technology to guarantee public safety, according to the official site of the Catalonian regional government.

Protecting the urban public aerial space

The proliferation of privately-owned drones, similar to the proliferation of e-scooters has been controversial as it has brought in both benefits but also security risks due to the overcrowding of public spaces. Not to mention the fact that the flying machines can be used for nefarious purposes, such as spying.

This system is made up of several subsystems that can be used to obtain information from the devices that fly over this airspace, warn them if they constitute a threat, move them away and, if necessary, immediately disable them.

The data they detect is not of a personal nature and includes the take-off location, height, route, make and model of the drone, among others, as explained by representatives of the police at a presentation on 21 February.

The Kuppel system project has been approved by NATO and since its launch, it has boosted the capability of the Catalan police (Mossos d’Esquadra) to control the aerial space of Barcelona, including the municipal territory, the El Prat Airport and the Tarragona petrochemical complex.