C2LYNX: the new drone command and control system that ITE is presenting at TECNOSEC DRONExpo 2025
This will be the first functional demonstration of C2LYNX: a prototype that connects drones from different manufacturers, DJI and drones using the MAVlink protocol, with a command console to visualise real-time flight data and telemetry. This connection is made via an application installed on the drone’s control device. Although still in development, ITE seeks to open dialogue with professionals and organisations to identify requirements, needs, and opportunities for collaboration that will allow it to evolve into a mature, tested system, adapted to real-world use cases.
Interview with Juan Díaz Bejarano, Director of the Drone Solutions Unit at ITE
Question 1. Juan, what does it mean for Integración Tecnológica Empresarial to participate in a trade fair like TECNOSEC DRONExpo Madrid 2025?
A: As an innovative company, ITE will showcase cutting-edge technological solutions in various key areas, reinforcing its role as a leading partner for industry and public administrations. For us, in the Drone Solutions Unit, it is a strategic event. TECNOSEC DRONExpo brings together the main players in the drone sector for security, defence, and intelligence. Being present means we can demonstrate ITE’s innovative capacity first-hand, but also listen, learn, and identify synergies with organisations, companies, and professionals who share similar challenges and objectives.
Q2. What is the most important innovation that ITE will present at this edition?
A: The main star will be C2LYNX, nicknamed LINCE, our new real-time command and control platform for drones. In Madrid, we will carry out the first public presentation of a functional prototype, which demonstrates how it is possible to integrate aircraft from different manufacturers, sensors, and data sources into a single platform, offering a real-time tactical overview for critical, multi-user operations.
Q3. What do you expect to achieve with this first presentation of the functional prototype?
A: We want to open a space for dialogue with professionals and organisations attending the trade fair. Although C2LYNX is still in development, we aim to validate our ideas, gather feedback, and identify real requirements that will allow us to evolve the system into a mature solution, fully adapted to the market’s needs.
Q4. What exactly is a C2LYNX system?
A: A C2LYNX is a command and control (C2) system that enables real-time coordination of operations with multiple drones and sensors, ensuring that all information flows in an integrated and accessible way for operators. Its mission is to transform scattered data into actionable intelligence, facilitating fast and effective decision-making in dynamic scenarios.
Q5. Why is it important to have such a system in the drone field?
A: Because the ecosystem of drone operations is rapidly evolving. We are no longer talking about a single drone in an isolated scenario, but about missions that require coordinating several teams, collecting data from multiple sensors, and ensuring interoperability between different systems. A system like C2LYNX provides this unified command and control capability, with the flexibility needed to work in different scenarios and communication networks.
Q6. What makes C2LYNX different from other solutions available on the market?
A: LINCE was born with a communications-agnostic approach: it can operate over 5G, fibre, satellite, or other IP networks. This gives it unique resilience and makes it an adaptable tool for law enforcement agencies, civil protection, or companies operating in critical environments. It also builds on the operational and technological experience we already have with CANARD by ITE, our globally recognised platform for managing airport maintenance operations with drones for advanced inspections and critical operations. On this proven foundation, C2LYNX expands its capabilities towards a multi-drone, multi-level command and control environment. Furthermore, C2LYNX aims to be a specific tool for police and security forces in emergencies. By focusing on such a specific and demanding user, we intend for C2LYNX to maximise the functionalities and capabilities required by that user.
Q7. What are the different roles envisaged by C2LYNX and how do their interfaces differ?
A: C2LYNX has been designed with different user profiles in mind, each with an interface adapted to their functions. Field operators directly control the drones and sensors in real time. Beyond the basic drone control that any pilot requires, our application adds functionalities and relevant data for the specific types of missions they carry out. Depending on the type of mission, the interface will display the most useful information. Commanders, on the other hand, have a global view to visualise data, plan and assign missions, and make strategic decisions. Finally, analysts can access the images, signals, and data collected to interpret them and generate reports. This way, each role accesses only what it needs, avoiding operational overload.
Q8. What types of sensors and drones does C2LYNX support?
A: C2LYNX is compatible with a wide variety of drones and sensors, allowing it to adapt to different scenarios. It can work with drones from well-known manufacturers such as DJI, or other commercial drones based on MAVlink protocols, which cover most non-DJI drones. As for sensors, it supports optical, thermal, multispectral, radiofrequency, or even LiDAR and environmental sensors, making it easy for the platform to evolve depending on the needs of each mission.
Q9. How does C2LYNX manage communications and resilience in environments with limited or intermittent connectivity?
A: One of C2LYNX’s greatest strengths is its ability to function even in environments with limited connectivity. It can operate over different networks, such as 5G, satellite, or radio, and deploy nodes that extend coverage in remote areas. In addition, it processes critical information locally when the connection is weak and synchronises it once the link improves. All of this ensures safe and stable operations, even in adverse conditions.
Q10. What role does artificial intelligence (AI) play in C2LYNX?
A: Artificial intelligence plays a key role in C2LYNX, as it enables automatic analysis of videos and images to detect relevant objects or patterns. ITE is developing and integrating detection models for specific use cases, but it can also integrate third-party solutions for specialised tasks such as surveillance or environmental monitoring. Thanks to this flexibility, the platform is ready to incorporate new AI advances and continuously improve its performance.
Q11. How do you imagine the future of C2LYNX and ITE’s drone solutions?
A: I imagine it as an operating system or ecosystem where technologies from multiple sector providers coexist, such as drone manufacturers and AI developers, for example. This would allow drone operators in security forces and emergency services to integrate different solutions.