France tests 'drone destroyer' laser weapons ahead of Paris 2024 Olympics

French military say the technology will be used to protect nuclear plants and major events

French military hopes the laser beam generators will be operational by 2024.

France have used a laser-powered canon to destroy a drone.

On Wednesday, the French military tested technology that will be used to protect major events, including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The government also hopes to use it to defend military bases and nuclear plants against low-flying drones that are able to avoid radar detection.

“We aim to have a fully operational system in time for the 2024 Summer Olympics,” said a French military spokesperson.

The prototype technology, developed by local start-up Cilas and backed by public money, can detect lightweight commercial drones from up to 3km and destroy them within 1km. It has been named Helma-P.

“We need to adapt to a constantly changing threat and the increasing ability of drones to escape jamming devices or conventional missile shields,” said the spokesperson.

The test was carried out in south-west France near the Atlantic coast, and was the first time such a technology was used in Europe. Israel and the US are also developing similar weapons.

Helma-P has destroyed drones moving above 50km/h and “in difficult target tracking conditions,” Cilas said.

The French defence ministry said the laser ray is one million times more powerful than that used by QR code readers.

It has also launched tenders for the development of a magnetic-wave canon and interceptor drones to protect against drones.