At GPEC 2026, Europe’s leading event for internal security, law enforcement, and homeland defence, HHLA Sky presented a vision for the future of drone and robotic operations in public safety and criticalinfrastructure environments.
Across two presentations delivered by Tobias Hoffmann, Head of Technology, and Marius Schröder, Head of Commercial at HHLA Sky, a common theme emerged: the future of drone operations is no longer about individual aircraft, but about secure orchestration, operational scalability, and digital sovereignty.
As drone adoption grows across law enforcement, emergency response, critical infrastructure protection, and homeland security, organisations face a growing challenge. While drone technology has advanced rapidly, operational models often remain fragmented, reliant on individual operators, isolated systems, and disconnected data streams.
The question is how organisations can scale their operations securely, efficiently, and in compliance with increasingly demanding regulatory frameworks such as NIS2.
HHLA Sky’s roots are closely linked to one of Europe’s most complex critical infrastructure environments: the Port of Hamburg.
As a subsidiary of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the company comes from an environment where logistics, transport, security, and infrastructure management intersect across a vast area with continuous operations.
This background has shaped HHLA Sky’s approach to autonomous systems.
Rather than developing drones as standalone products, the company focuses on creating integrated operational ecosystems capable of supporting logistics, inspection, surveillance, emergency response, and custom mission profiles at scale.
This philosophy was reflected throughout both GPEC presentations.
One of the central themes addressed during GPEC was the growing tension between operational performance and cybersecurity requirements.
Across Europe, regulatory requirements continue to evolve. The implementation of NIS2 and increasing attention to digital sovereignty are forcing public organisations to reassess how drone operations are managed and secured.
At the same time, many organisations already rely on widely deployed drone platforms that offer proven operational performance.
This creates what HHLA Sky describes as an operational paradox.
On one side, organisations require efficient and widely available drone hardware. On the other, they must address cybersecurity concerns, data governance requirements, and regulatory obligations that continue to become more demanding.
For police forces, emergency responders, critical infrastructure operators, and public authorities, this challenge is becoming increasingly relevant.
The goal is no longer simply to fly drones, but to operate them securely, compliantly, and at scale.
The second major challenge highlighted during the presentations is operational scalability. Traditional drone operations are typically built around a one-to-one model where a single operator controls a single aircraft.
While effective for isolated missions, this approach quickly becomes inefficient as organisations attempt to expand their operations.
Personnel remain tied to deployment locations. Mission coordination becomes increasingly complex. Data remains distributed across separate systems. Operational awareness becomes fragmented.
As a result, organisations often struggle to create a coherent operational picture across multiple teams, locations, and mission types.
For public-safety organisations operating in dynamic environments, these limitations can directly impact response times, situational awareness, and resource allocation.
HHLA Sky’s answer to these challenges is the Integrated Control Centre (ICC).
The ICC is designed as a central operating system for autonomous and remotely supervised robotic operations.
Rather than managing individual devices separately, the platform enables organisations to coordinate drones, mobile robots, and future autonomous systems through a single interface.
The platform supports large-scale BVLOS drone operations and can manage more than 100 simultaneous drone and robot operations across different manufacturers, mission profiles, and operational environments.
Several capabilities distinguish the ICC from conventional drone management solutions.
Centralised video and mission data flow directly into the control centre, eliminating local data silos and creating a shared operational picture.
A scalable one-to-many operational model enables a single operator to supervise multiple systems simultaneously rather than remaining tied to individual aircraft.
Most importantly, the platform is IEC 62443 certified, making it the only drone-control platform with this highest level of industrial cybersecurity certification.
Another major focus of the presentations was digital sovereignty.
As geopolitical tensions, cybersecurity concerns, and regulatory requirements increase, organisations are paying closer attention to where operational data is stored and who has access to it.
HHLA Sky outlined a vision centred on European digital independence.
For public authorities, law-enforcement organisations, and critical infrastructure operators, this approach would provide greater control over mission-critical operational data.
Digital sovereignty is increasingly becoming a strategic requirement rather than a technical preference.
One of the most compelling examples presented at GPEC was the First Responder drone concept.
In emergency situations, access to information is often the deciding factor in successful decision-making. Using an autonomous docking station and BVLOS operations, drones can be launched automatically immediately after an alarm is triggered.
Within minutes, live video streams are transmitted directly to command centres before response personnel arrive on site. This enables emergency services to assess incidents faster, allocate resources more effectively, and improve situational awareness during critical moments.
Instead of arriving without information, response teams can arrive with a live operational picture already established.
Another key concept introduced during the presentations was the coordinated air picture. Many organisations already operate multiple drone systems across different teams and departments. However, these systems often operate in parallel rather than together.
The ICC addresses this challenge by creating a unified operational picture where data from multiple platforms can be consolidated, managed, and distributed securely.
Video streams, telemetry data, and mission information become available to command staff, mobile units, and operational centres simultaneously.
The result is not simply multiple drones operating at once, but a coordinated and interactive operational environment where all participants share the same information foundation.
Perhaps the most forward-looking aspect of the presentations was HHLA Sky’s vision for multimodal robotic operations.
The company argues that the future of public-safety robotics extends far beyond drones.
Through the ICC, aerial systems, autonomous ground vehicles, and autonomous maritime platforms can all be managed within a single operational framework.
In practical terms, this could mean:
This approach transforms isolated robotic assets into coordinated operational capabilities.
For police organisations, border protection agencies, emergency services, and critical infrastructure operators, such orchestration can significantly improve decision-making, communication, and resourcemanagement.
The key takeaway from HHLA Sky’s GPEC 2026 presentations is clear.
The future of autonomous operations is not tied to individual drones or isolated technologies. It is built on orchestration.
As drone operations continue to expand across public safety, critical infrastructure, homeland security, and emergency response, organisations will require platforms capable of integrating multiple systems, managing complex operations, and maintaining cybersecurity and regulatory compliance at scale.
From digital sovereignty and NIS2 readiness to BVLOS operations, multimodal robotics, and coordinated operational pictures, HHLA Sky’s vision reflects a broader industry shift.
The next stage of autonomous operations is about creating secure, scalable, and coordinated robotic ecosystems that deliver actionable information wherever and whenever it is needed.
