France Successfully Tests Drone-destroying Laser To Secure The 2024 Paris Olympics

Drone illustration. (Unsplash/ricardo gomez angel)

JAKARTA - French military authorities announced that they had successfully conducted a test firing of a laser-powered cannon to destroy a moving drone target on Wednesday, July 7 local time.

Launching The National News Thursday, July 8, this latest military technology test is intended to protect major state events, including the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The French government also hopes to use it to defend military bases and nuclear plants, against drones that have low-flying capabilities and evade radar detection.

"We aim to have the system fully operational in time for the 2024 Paris Olympics," a French military spokesman said.

HELMA-P Laser Anti-Drone Illustration. (YouTube Screenshot/Agence de l'innovation de défense)

The laser weapon prototype technology dubbed HELMA-P, developed by local startup Cilas and supported by the state budget, can detect light commercial drones up to 3 km away and destroy them within 1 km.

"We need to adapt to changing threats and the increasing ability of drones to escape jamming devices or conventional missile shields," the spokesman said.

The HELMA-P underwent test-firing in southwestern France near the Atlantic coast, and was the first time such technology was used in Europe. Apart from France, similar technologies are also being developed by Israel and the United States.

"Helma-P has destroyed drones moving at speeds above 50 kilometers per hour and under difficult target tracking conditions," Cilas said in a statement.

Separately, the French Ministry of Defense said the laser beam was one million times more powerful than that used by QR code readers. And, the success of these trials did not stop the development of other weapons.

The State of Mode is said to be preparing a tender for the development of an electromagnetic wave canon (EMP) and an interceptor drone, to protect against the threat of enemy drones.