Paris Olympics: French Government Orders Laser Weapon Prototype For 2024 Games
The latest, yet less glamorous addition to 2024 Summer Olympics arsenal is a laser weapon system that will shoot drones down from the sky, as reported by CNN.
The announcement was made by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in June when it revealed that it had ordered one prototype of an anti-drone laser weapon system, called HELMA-P, to be deployed for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“The HELMA-P system provides a calibrated response to the drone threat, from dazzling the drone’s observation instruments to the neutralization of a mini or micro drone (from 100g to 25kg) by altering its structure, causing it to fall in a few seconds,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Altering its structure” is a nice way to say burning a hole through any potential drone.
This prototype will also help “deepen the military’s understanding of its deployment,” as an anti-drone campaign is a priority laid out by the French Ministry of the Armed Forces for the 2019-2025 period, according to the statement.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) told CNN that security of the Games is the responsibility of local authorities.
The HELMA-P system can shoot out powerful laser beams that heat up drones to a point where they either burn or overheat and shutdown, according to Jean, chief engineer of weaponry at the ministry’s General Directorate for Armament, in charge of developing and purchasing weapons.
