Common operating picture for ports hensec Integrates Drone Detection and GNSS Monitoring

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New Portags security platform combines data from multiple sensors in one operational view to protect critical port infrastructure against drones and GNSS manipulation.

Baltic Sea countries are stepping up their cooperation to protect against hybrid threats. At the Baltic Sea Security Summit in late August, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden and Norway agreed to intensify information sharing and establish a joint task force. Shared situational awareness and compatible security technologies are also moving higher up the agenda. Ports have a particularly important role to play: As hubs for logistics, energy supply, industry and data connections, they are among the most sensitive areas of critical infrastructure.

To help protect this infrastructure, German security company hensec secure solutions has developed Portags (Port Airspace and GNSS Security). Designed specifically for ports, the integrated airspace and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) monitoring platform combines multiple detection technologies in one operational view. Put simply, the system monitors the airspace above a port for potential airborne objects such as drones, while simultaneously checking whether satellite navigation signals are reliable or being disrupted. This enables security teams to centrally detect, assess and document drone activity and GNSS interference.

“Shared situational awareness isn’t achieved simply by installing more and more individual sensors. What matters is bringing their data together, correlating it and presenting it in a way that allows security teams to quickly understand what is actually happening,” said Kevin Heneka, Managing Director of hensec secure solutions. “Particularly in complex port environments, it is essential not to look at different sources of information in isolation, but to understand how they relate to one another.”

From individual signals to a common operating picture

Portags combines several detection technologies. RF sensors monitor relevant frequency ranges and detect active drone communication and control signals. These include Remote ID data, control and communication signals, as well as telemetry and movement information. Passive radar complements this data by making non-transmitting and non-cooperative airborne objects visible.

At the same time, the system monitors the GNSS environment. Jamming occurs when GNSS signals are overlaid, blocked or severely degraded. With spoofing, receivers are presented with plausible but false navigation or time information. The proprietary GNSS analysis systems integrated into Portags analyse signal quality, detect interference and anomalies, and perform plausibility checks to identify and classify suspicious events.

According to hensec, GNSS interference can affect not only navigation, but also synchronisation and automated processes. Potentially affected areas include maritime and air traffic, critical infrastructure, communications systems and autonomous systems that depend on reliable positioning or timing information.

RF, radar, telemetry and GNSS data are brought together, correlated and classified through sensor fusion. Relevant information is then displayed centrally in a Common Operating Picture. Incidents can be visualised, alerts generated and a traceable event record maintained.

GNSS interference in the Baltic Sea region

Research involving hensec also demonstrates the relevance of GNSS interference to maritime security. During a measurement campaign conducted in 2025, a GNSS interference detector was installed aboard a research vessel operating in the southern Baltic Sea between June and October.

The measurements identified combined jamming and spoofing activity, among other forms of interference. In some cases, significantly stronger interference was measured at sea than in the Port of Gdansk. The study shows that vessels in the Baltic Sea region are at times exposed to complex GNSS interference.

“Where drone activity and interference with navigation signals can occur at the same time, relying on a single sensor source is not enough,” Heneka explained. “Portags therefore takes a multi-sensor approach: Different data sources are brought together and checked for plausibility, giving security teams a reliable basis for assessing the situation.”

Modular, scalable and integrable

The Portags sensor architecture is planned according to the specific site, risk profile and required coverage. The system is modular and scalable and can be deployed in either stationary or mobile configurations.

Potential applications include container terminals, tank farms, port entrances and automated terminals. The system can also be used to monitor critical energy, communications and control infrastructure.

Open interfaces allow Portags to be integrated into existing operations centers. Multiple sensor nodes can be connected via a secure data network, bringing the information together in a Common Operating Picture.

Portags therefore takes an integrated approach to port monitoring: detecting drones, identifying GNSS interference and bringing together different sources of information so that security situations can be assessed centrally and fast, informed decisions can be made.