French Army Trains Eagles to Fight Drone Terrorism
A royal eagle catches a drone during military exercise at the Mont-de-Marsan airbase, France, on February 10, 2017. Photograph by Georges Gobet—AFP/Getty Images
Faced with the specter of a terrorist threat from rogue drones , the French are recruiting an avian ally. At a base in the southwest of the country, a special army unit has for months been training four golden eagles to spot drones and perform mid-air takedowns.
Details of the program emerged last week when French media outlets reported on an experimental program that involves soldiers raising the eagles from chicks, and training them to associate the drones with food.
As Le Parisien explains, the soldiers began by serving meat to the young eagles on the ground using drones as dinner plates. When the eagles grew a bit older, the trainers then presented them with drones hovering in the air—to predictable results. The eagles swooped in and seized the drones in talons that can exert pressure of 500 pounds per square inch. (This YouTube video shows them in action).
Once the eagles catch their mechanical prey, they fly to earth and cover them with their wings, and are promptly rewarded with a piece of meat.
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That looks like a toy this is a drone.
I think that those are usually referred to as UAVs ("Unmanned Armed Vehicles") and are formidable weapons indeed. And those are also referred to as "drones".
But now I believe that more and more the word "drone" is used to refer to the small ones (that you can buy) and are really small toys. Originally pretty harmless-- but I think ISIS has figured out a way to use those small ones (the toys) as a weapon.
I'm not sure which type they use here:
Battle For Mosul: ISIS Drone Obliterates Iraqi Army Tank
Armored up drone fighter.
Small Drones used for Amazon deliveries: Amazon Prime Air
"Toy" drones for sale on Amazon
(I've also seen the really small ones for sale in toy depts. of stores)
I don't think ISIS has any of those, could be wrong...
Maybe they should try Siberian Tigers?
That makes me think of the story about the Mossad training sharks to attack, or to use pigeons as spies.