Drone neutralized by the firing of a Helma-P laser cannon from the company Cilas, in Villacoublay (Yvelines), March 14, 2024. CILAS
The impact, clearly visible on the side of the small quadcopter, is the size of a 2 euro coin. It was caused by a laser beam with a power of 2 kilowatts (kW) which caused the device to fall like a stone during an exercise organized by the air force at the Villacoublay air base ( Yvelines). To put this flying object 20 centimeters long, weighing 600 grams and which can be found commercially for 400 euros, out of harm’s way, it was necessary to use the Helma-P laser cannon from the company Cilas. Equipment whose turret weighs 80 kilos and whose value is around 2 million euros. Perfect illustration of the asymmetrical nature of the anti-drone fight.
The flying camera capable of capturing aerial images of the most beautiful effect as part of a leisure activity has become the armed arm of a “low cost threat” and so to speak elusive. Images of the war on Ukrainian territory or the theaters of operations in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Middle East show small drones – the same as those of the vacationers – which drop explosives on the enemy, completing the credit for this new peril.
From now on, there will be no more major popular demonstrations or international summits without the deployment of equipment designed to counter possible drone intrusions. Thwarting these attacks, whether a terrorist attack or the organization of a media stunt by activists seeking to disrupt the ceremonies, has become the obsession of the organizers of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (JOP). Paris. In this regard, France is among the countries which sounded the alarm and organized the mobilization of industrialists as early as possible.
Industrial issues
This rapid awareness is the consequence of the excitement caused, at the end of 2014, by the overflight of seven nuclear power plants by unmanned aircraft. Incidents never clarified, followed by other alerts concerning airports in particular, which had the consequence of encouraging public authorities to put in place a policy to prevent this protean risk.
Detecting and neutralizing a device barely larger than a toy that can travel several kilometers from its pilot – or even evolve according to a pre-programmed flight plan – represents a challenge. After a first call for tenders launched in 2014 by the General Secretariat of Defense and National Security (SGDSN, placed under the authority of the Prime Minister), the proximity of the JOPs led to the development and expansion of the field of combat antidrone.
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2024-03-27 10:36:47
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