Kansas City’s proactive airspace security planning is already supporting fans, residents, and teams as FIFA World Cup 2026 activity gets underway, with Unmanned Vehicle Technologies, LLC (UVT) serving as systems integrator for the city’s layered counter-UAS initiative. Metro leaders and regional public safety stakeholders have taken deliberate steps to strengthen low-altitude awareness, coordination, and surveillance, enabling safer skies for one of the world’s largest sporting events.
Through a forward-thinking counter-UAS initiative, Kansas City invested ahead of the World Cup to build an end-to-end defense framework designed to protect the community’s airspace, bolster major event operations, and strengthen long-term public safety readiness far beyond the tournament.
The project comes amid a broader national airspace security effort that has directed federal grants toward FIFA World Cup host cities as they prepare for increasingly complex aerial environments. FEMA’s Counter-UAS Grant Program placed renewed focus on the need for comprehensive, city-scale capabilities that deliver detection, tracking, identification, coordination, training, and, when authorized, mitigation. Kansas City’s initiative shows the value of deliberate leadership: recognizing the challenge early, aligning the right stakeholders, and investing in a unified framework before the demands of a global event reached full speed.
“Protecting a World Cup requires a level of airspace coordination that most cities have never had to think about before. We’ve thought about it and what we’ve built here is a system that works for FIFA and keeps working long after the final match. Kansas City is committed to being a city where drones operate safely, where public safety has the tools to respond,” said Captain Jake Becchina of the Kansas City Missouri Police Department Media Unit.
To help turn their planning into operational capability, Kansas City leaders invited Unmanned Vehicle Technologies, LLC to integrate the project’s core technologies and provide ongoing mission support for the life of the program. UVT served as the systems integrator, bringing together specialized technologies from Airspace Link, DroneShield, and others to create a unified, sustainable, and mission-aligned cUAS ecosystem for the city.
“Kansas City deserves credit for leaning into this early,” said Chris Fink, Founder and CEO of UVT. “An effective cUAS strategy has to be multi-faceted, flexible, and grounded in the mission of the people using it. That is exactly what this team of partners has built. UVT has always been focused on our customers’ success. That was true when I was the sole employee, and it’s still true today. For organizations across the country, we help bring clarity and education to a congested and confusing marketplace. Our field experts explain which solutions best fit each operation, and then bring those technologies together into a coordinated, sustainable program that works when needed most.”
Kansas City’s initiative is built on a layered approach, strengthening low-altitude security across detection, tracking, identification, coordination, and authorized response. Rather than relying on a single sensor or standalone tool, the city’s cUAS program brought together several specialized technology partners, each contributing a critical layer to the broader cUAS architecture.
Airspace Link supported the broader coordination effort through AirHub, helping agencies align drone operations, low-altitude awareness, compliance, and mission planning.
“Kansas City recognized early that managing airspace for an event of this scale requires more than detection — it requires coordination. AirHub gives agencies a single platform to align authorized drone operations, maintain low-altitude awareness, and keep public safety teams working from the same operational picture. What Kansas City has built here is a model for how cities can approach airspace readiness: layered, deliberate, and built to last well beyond the final whistle.”
— Michael Healander, CEO and Founder, Airspace Link
DroneShield contributed airspace awareness capabilities designed to help public safety stakeholders better understand activity in the low-altitude environment. By supporting detection, identification, situational awareness, and operational coordination, DroneShield’s technology helps agencies build a more complete operating picture as they prepare for major events and manage increasingly complex airspace environments.
“Major international events require public safety teams to maintain awareness across increasingly complex airspace environments,” said Tom Adams, Public Safety Director at DroneShield. “Kansas City has taken a thoughtful and collaborative approach to strengthening airspace awareness across the region. The project demonstrates how public safety agencies can leverage layered technologies and trusted partnerships to support event security, improve coordination, and establish capabilities that continue delivering value long after the final match is played.”
The effort reflects a larger shift in how cities are protecting their skies. Drone activity continues to increase across public safety, media, infrastructure, commercial, and recreational use cases. At the same time, major events such as FIFA World Cup 2026 create dense, dynamic operating environments where authorized drone use, public safety flights, and potential unauthorized UAS activity may occur simultaneously.
Kansas City’s initiative was designed to help manage that increasingly dynamic aerial environment by strengthening regional awareness and assisting public safety stakeholders in collaborating across multiple jurisdictions. The result provides a critical support layer for World Cup operations, as well as a foundation for long-term airspace security and public safety readiness beyond the tournament.
“This is exactly the kind of proactive planning cities need as drones become a normal part of the public safety and security landscape,” Fink added. “Kansas City did not wait for the challenge to define the response. They built the framework early, and UVT is honored to advance that effort alongside outstanding technology partners.”
As federal, state, and local conversations around counter-UAS authority, funding, and operational readiness continue to evolve, Kansas City’s initiative demonstrates how communities can move from planning to operational readiness with thoughtful preparation, layered technology, and an integrated partner ecosystem.
About Kansas City Missouri Police Department
The Kansas City Missouri Police Department (KCPD) is an innovative police department committed to protecting life and property, preventing crime, and building strong community partnerships throughout Kansas City, Missouri, while embracing the next generation of officers and technology to enhance effectiveness. Our Department emphasizes professionalism, honor, and integrity in all aspects of its operations. Through proactive crime prevention strategies, data-driven policing, and community engagement programs, KCPD strives to enhance the quality of life and ensure a safe environment for all who live, work, and visit Kansas City.
About Airspace Link
Airspace Link is a Detroit-based FAA-approved UTM provider and the company behind AirHub®, the industry’s leading Drone Operations Management System (DOMS). AirHub provides organizations with a single, integrated platform for airspace security, UAS operational safety, and full operations lifecycle management. As an FAA-approved B4UFLY, LAANC and UTM provider, and Esri technology partner, Airspace Link delivers safety and structure to the rapidly expanding drone ecosystem. The company holds SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 certifications. Learn more at airspacelink.com.
About DroneShield
DroneShield is a global leader in advanced counter-drone technology, leveraging RF sensing, AI, sensor fusion, and electronic warfare. Our solutions protect military, government, law enforcement, and critical infrastructure globally, offering both custom and off-the-shelf products for land, sea, and air platforms. Learn more at droneshield.com
About UVT
Unmanned Vehicle Technologies, LLC is North America’s leading drone and robotics integrator, delivering end-to-end operations planning, implementation, support, and problem-solving to keep organizations Always On. UVT equips public safety and enterprise teams with integrated drone, robotics, remote operations, and counter-UAS solutions built for real-world operations, regulatory alignment, and long-term program success. From consultation and system design to installation, training, world-class support, and ongoing program development, UVT helps organizations build mission-ready capabilities that perform when it matters most.
To learn more about UVT, visit www.uvt.us.
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