Drones over France

AtomInfo.Ru, PUBLISHED 08.11.2014

The French public is agitated. The unknown drones are flying over the French nuclear power stations.

Although it does not represent the immediate threat to the NPP, the very fact of the flights and the anonymity of drone owners cause to suspect even the worst.

17 flights

The EDF company, the operator of all operating nuclear power plants in France, recorded during October and November at least 16 cases of the appearance of drones over the area of the station.

Seven cases occur in November. During one of the October nights, almost simultaneously five (according to other sources, four) flights occurred.

Drones were observed in Penli, Flamanville, Fessenheim and a number of other sites. Besides plant, the mysterious owners interest the other nuclear facilities. On the night of 6 to 7 November 2014, the drone was flying over the nuclear center in Marcoule, bringing the total number of flights to 17.

Typically, drones occur at night. The police have no idea who runs it and for what purpose, says Minister of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy Segolene Royal. All of this is happening during the escalating of the worldwide confrontation with radical Islamist groups.

On Wednesday, there was hope that the mystery will be revealed. The police arrested three young people with drone at 100 meters distance from the Belleville NPP. However, it was nothing to enjoy. It turned out that the detainees would only make a video of the boat in the nearest lake, and they did not interest in the nuclear power plant.

Mysterious owners

French aviation experts agree - whoever was hiding behind the mysterious flight, he is clearly not a simple joker.

Some of the drones, seen above the station, cost 30 thousand dollars at least. You can manage it from a distance or by using the autopilot.

Can flights serve preparing for a terrorist attack or armed attack on the plants by the Islamists? Up to now the experts believe that this is an unlikely option. However, the threat may be from the extremists of another sort, namely, the radical environmental groups.

The suspicion immediately falls to the "Greenpeace". But the "official" greens insisted categorically: "We have nothing to do with it."

It is possible that a campaign is arranged by one or another environmental group from among those who consider the actions of the "Greenpeace" are too soft. Ongoing impunity of the flying drones allow to raise the question about the "failure" of protection of nuclear power plants and deploy a large-scale campaign for its closure.

What if the drone owners' intentions are even more aggressive, and they are planning a terrorist attack? The aviation experts calm - the seen above the plants drones are too small and can not carry enough explosives to damage the plants.

But the French nuclear industry can not relax. The drones can attack auxiliary or administrative buildings.

Such attacks will not cause the real damage to the plant but it can intimidate staff and cause panic among the population. Therefore, we can not exclude that the offending drones would be soon shoot down preventively from the ground. Although it will depend on how well the search will move for their owners.

Topics: Security, Europe, France

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