Significant problems have been discovered in the operation of the Thales Parade system. In particular, it is indicated that the system, when detected, “confuses drones with air conditioning.”
The reason is that Parade’s sensors are tuned to detect the rotation of small propeller blades and also respond to the sound that occurs when they do so. However, the sensors end up confusing the rotation of the drones’ propellers with the rotation of electric air conditioning fans, which may be located on the upper floors of buildings or on their roof.
The system was officially licensed for use at major sporting events last year. It did reveal dozens of drones that were not registered for use in and around sports venues. However, dozens of signals from Parade continue to remain false. And a significant part of false alarms is the reaction of the system sensors specifically to the elements of air conditioning devices.
Summer Olympics will be held in Paris in the summer of 2024. The French are planning to use Parade on a massive scale. Only the situation so far is such that the French security services will probably have to “fight the mills.”
Photo: Michel Euler/AP