In 2021, when Jean-François Adam founded the company Drone
Our country today has 2 million who carry out flights that are neither always controlled nor always declared.
In any case, Drone the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
It must be said that for three years, Drone XTR has proven itself.
“In 2021,” says Jean-François Adam, “we decided to finance, with the support of BPI France, an experiment in the port of Le Havre called
The Phantom Menace
.
We have installed two detection systems.
Between July 7, 2021 and February 21, 2022, 3,638 drones flew over the area for only 134 authorizations.
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Read alsoParis Olympic Games: how the Army is piloting the organization's anti-drone plan
Drone pilots clearly have a weakness for the Normandy Bridge, a “big spot”.
“These are mainly for taking pictures,” recognizes Jean-François Adam, but it can be dangerous for the Seveso industries, the Civil Security helicopter or the plane controlling the pipeline which supplies fuel to the Parisian airports.
There are mainly amateurs but also professionals, even journalists who do not have the time to wait for authorizations.
We can also come across traffickers who monitor law enforcement or simply employees who want to fly over their businesses.
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Detect registration numbers
“By consulting our report, customers realized that there was a problem with drones,” continues the founder of Drone XTR, who has since developed a three-year equipment rental service, with maintenance and upgrade management. up to date and requisitions: “Our device makes it possible to monitor traffic and detect the registration numbers of drones using their transponder.
We immediately know which ones are allowed.
After its implementation with our clients, their security services have a (monitoring) screen and know how to react.
Read alsoLaser, interceptor device, jammer rifle... these weapons to fight against drones
After Borealis and Lubrizol, two chemical companies near Rouen, Drone petrochemical zone of Pau.
“In total, there are more than fifty sensitive industries that we observe from Le Havre,” summarizes Jean-François Adam.
And it's not over: aware of the threat weighing on all airports, DSNA, the State service attached to the General Directorate of Civil Aviation, which manages flights, has launched a call for tenders won Drone XTR.
The control tower will no longer be blind
“We showed them our systems in operation and not on PowerPoints.
They were won over straight away,” assures Jean-François Adam.
Since then, its engineers have been working to deploy their system at the Nice and Marseille airports before the beginning of July and the start of the Olympic Games.
“For the moment, they have feedback from the drivers but that's all, they are almost blind.
The goal is to make approaches and takeoffs safe, without stopping traffic.
In Nice, for example, we detect a lot of drones in front of the runway and along the square.
For this we collaborate with the company Sirix Security.
There is now a 24-hour dialogue between them, our antennas and the control tower.
If there is an intrusion, they can react immediately and warn the crew.
The final protocol is being developed and tests will be carried out in early May.
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Drone XTR will then tackle the protection of the airports of Bordeaux, Toulouse, Mulhouse, Beauvais, Lyon, Nantes and, of course, Le Havre.
Strong progress on civil and military sites which will also involve the detection of “home drones without transponders, for which we have a patent”.
There, predicts Jean-François Adam, “we will really be able to talk about the fight against drones”.
The next Olympic Games will be an opportunity to put it to the test, thanks to the Parade system of the Army and the DGA which will detect all intrusions into prohibited airspace.
As Jean-François Adam reminds us, “there must be a bubble”!