
Drones and Commercial Aviation: The Growing Threat and Counter-UAS Solutions
From Air Line Pilot Podcast by Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
March 17, 2026 · 38 min · Season 1 · Episode 26
About this episode
The episode discusses the growing threat of drones to commercial aviation and explores counter-UAS solutions with expert insights.
How do we protect commercial aircraft from the threat of unmanned aerial systems? ALPA president Capt. Jason Ambrosi talks with Col. Bill Edwards, director of counter-unmanned aerial systems operations at ENSCO, about the rapidly growing drone threat to commercial aviation and what it will take to counter it. Edwards discusses the evolution of small UAS driven by global conflicts, the scale of drone detections near U.S. airports, and how limited detection and mitigation authorities have constrained responses. He outlines detection methods (radar, radio frequency, optical, acoustic) and mitigation options suited for domestic use.
People in this episode
Host: Capt. Jason Ambrosi
Guest: Col. Bill Edwards
Topics covered
- drones
- commercial aviation
- counter-UAS solutions
- aviation safety
- unmanned aerial systems
Keywords
- drones
- commercial aviation
- UAS
- aviation safety
- detection methods
- mitigation options
- Col. Bill Edwards
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: ENSCO, Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l
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