The Paris Summer Olympics is just under two years away. Safety is always a factor in the planning process of large events, and to keep people safe in 2024, the French government just ordered a new tool; a drone-killing laser.
The official name of the weapon system is the High-Energy Laser for Multiple Application-Power, or HELMA-P. It can track and identify drones from three kilometers away and neutralize drones from a kilometer away.
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces ordered one of the prototype weapons from French weapons manufacturer CILAS. The Ministry said the HELMA-P is a calibrated response to the drone threat. It is designed to primarily combat micro and mini drones. Mini drones are in wide use on the frontlines of the Ukraine War.
The HELMA-P neutralizes a target by shooting an invisible laser. The laser’s power is adjustable so it could just jam a drone’s optics or alter its structure by burning a hole through it.
Security experts agree large events like the Olympics could also be extremist targets, so having the tools to combat the evolving drone threat is vital to a nation’s security.
For tourists traveling to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics, the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said the new laser weapon won’t be a distraction because the laser invisible is invisible and silent.
