> hackrf_transfer -r drone_capture.raw -f 2400000000 -s 20000000_
Your drone fleet talks to the ground, the cloud, and the satellites — on frequencies anyone with a software-defined radio can listen to. We test those conversations before someone else hijacks them.
Commercial drones are projected to be a £38 billion global market by 2028. Delivery fleets, agricultural surveyors, infrastructure inspectors, emergency responders — unmanned aerial vehicles are now embedded in critical operations across every sector. And almost none of them were designed with adversarial security in mind.
The threat landscape is sobering. Consumer drones have been weaponised in conflict zones, used for corporate espionage, and flown into restricted airspace with alarming regularity. Military and defence UAVs carry classified payloads over hostile territory. Delivery drones transport goods worth intercepting. Surveillance platforms capture data worth stealing. Every one of these platforms relies on radio-frequency links, GPS signals, and software stacks that can be analysed, intercepted, spoofed, and exploited.
Regulators are catching up. The UK CAA, EASA, and FAA are all tightening requirements around drone cyber security. If you operate a commercial fleet, integrate UAV data into critical systems, or manufacture drones for defence or enterprise customers — the question isn't whether your systems will be tested. It's whether you test them first.
Unlike a server in a locked rack, a drone operates in uncontrolled physical space on unencrypted or weakly encrypted radio links. An attacker doesn't need to breach your network perimeter — they need a directional antenna and a car park within range. The barrier to entry is a £300 SDR kit and a YouTube tutorial. The barrier to defence is rigorous, specialist penetration testing.
We assess the full UAV ecosystem — the aircraft, the communications, the ground infrastructure, and the data in transit. Because compromising any single component can compromise the entire mission.
Our UAV penetration testing follows a structured methodology developed from real-world drone security research and adversarial RF experience. Every engagement is tailored to the platform, the mission profile, and the threat model — but the rigour is always the same.
All testing is conducted in controlled, authorised environments with appropriate CAA permissions where required. We don't need to fly your drone to break it — most critical vulnerabilities are exploitable from the ground.
Different platforms face different threats. A commercial delivery drone has a very different risk profile from a military ISR platform or a counter-drone detection system. We scope every engagement to match.
| Approach | Scope & Focus | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Drone Fleet | Communication link security, GCS application testing, cloud/API integration, firmware update mechanisms, and fleet management platform assessment. Focus on scalable vulnerabilities that affect the entire fleet. | Logistics operators, agricultural services, inspection companies, and enterprise drone programmes deploying at scale. |
| Military / Defence UAV | Encrypted link analysis, anti-jamming resilience, GPS spoofing resistance, TEMPEST considerations, firmware integrity verification, and supply-chain security assessment. Full adversarial simulation against state-level threat actors. | Defence contractors, MOD suppliers, and manufacturers building platforms for sovereign or allied military use. |
| Counter-Drone Systems | Detection evasion testing, RF fingerprinting bypass, radar cross-section manipulation, protocol-level evasion, and sensor fusion weaknesses. We test your counter-drone platform by trying to fly past it undetected. | Airports, critical national infrastructure, event security, and organisations deploying drone detection or defeat systems. |
A penetration test secures your drone platform at a point in time. But firmware updates ship, new frequencies are allocated, and threat actors refine their techniques. Ongoing vigilance is essential — particularly for platforms operating in contested or regulated airspace.
For continuous airspace threat monitoring and RF awareness, see our Airspace Security service. For 24/7 threat detection across your entire infrastructure — including the ground systems your drones connect to — see SOCinaBox.
Combine UAV penetration testing with Airspace Security monitoring and Wireless & Spectrum Security assessments for a complete picture. The pen test reveals what's exploitable today. Continuous monitoring ensures you see the threats of tomorrow. Together, they create an airborne security posture that actually holds up under pressure.
Every engagement starts with a free scoping call. We'll assess your platform, define the threat model, and deliver a clear proposal — no jargon, no obligation. The only risk is not knowing what an attacker already can.