- Opening ceremony on the Seine could be vulnerable to drone and sniper attacks
It was supposed to be a moment of national pride as France defended its skies at this summer's Olympics with a revolutionary anti-drone system.
However, after a series of embarrassing failed experiments, rumors spread across the Channel that the French were forced to make a most humiliating descent and were summoned by the British.
With less than three months until the opening ceremony, France is under pressure to strengthen its vaunted “parade” kit with a system said to include technology and personnel from the Royal Air Force.
The French military insisted in a statement to the Mail that “no support was requested” from the UK, but the Ministry of Defense confirmed it had provided “equipment and personnel”.
The French satirical newspaper Le Canard Encienne also said that President Emmanuel Macron had to “beg” Britain and dubbed the government “humiliating supremacist.”
The Parade system was awarded in a tender by France's Defense Procurement Agency, which will develop an anti-drone system in 2022 at a cost of 350 million euros.
It can detect threats, disrupt them, and immobilize them.
It would also be possible for police drones to capture equipment over the net or shoot down the drone directly, but this should be a last resort as debris could kill or injure people on the ground.
“It's frustrating for this to come out publicly, but unfortunately, contrary to official policy, things are not actually working the way we want them to,” a senior security official told AFP news agency last month. Ta.
Le Canard newspaper reported that the French Air Force is “threatening to send back the six Parade systems it received without paying for them.”
The opening ceremony will be held along the Seine River rather than the Stade de France, which officials fear is vulnerable to drone attacks and sniper attacks.
A MoD spokesperson said: “We are working across Whitehall departments to provide the UK's support for security operations for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”
“Our specialist search dog unit will support security at the venue and the Royal Air Force will provide equipment and personnel to counter any potential unauthorized drones.”
A French Defense Ministry spokesperson said the parade system needed to be strengthened, but insisted that “no support has been requested from the UK following the results of the anti-drone system tests.”
A spokesperson for Thales, the company that developed Parade, said its system, based on “sophisticated processing algorithms”, had “proven its validity” at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
They added: “Given the risks involved, it is normal for developing these algorithms and fine-tuning the sensors to take some effort and time, but most importantly, for the 2024 Olympic Games. “We need to prepare our systems accordingly,” he added. Military operators are fully embracing it. ”
“We are working hard to ensure this system is fully operational for the Olympics,” the company said.