French army grooms eagles to down drones

Mont-de-Marsan : Faced with the risk of drones being used to snoop or carry out attacks on French soil, the air force is showing its claws.

At Mont-de-Marsan in southwestern France a quartet of fearsome golden eagles is being trained to take out unmanned aircraft in mid-flight.

The roar of a departing Rafale fighter jet gives way to the buzz of a drone lifting into the air on a runway at the air base, some 130 kilometres (80 miles) south of Bordeaux.

Suddenly, a loud squawk fills the air as a beady-eyed eagle bears down at breakneck speed from a control tower 200 metres away.

In about 20 seconds the raptor has the drone between its talons, then pins it to the ground and covers it with its broad brown wings.

The drone has been destroyed: Mission accomplished for D'Artagnan.

The valiant bird is one of four feathered fighters -- along with Athos, Porthos and Aramis, all characters in French novelist Alexandre Dumas's "The Three Musketeers" -- being put through their paces since mid-2016.

Mont-de-Marsan is one of five air bases in France to boast a falconry.

Usually, the birds of prey -- generally falcons or northern goshawks  -- are kept to scare birds away from the runway to reduce the risk of accidents during takeoff or landing.

But with France on high alert after a string of jihadist assaults since January 2015, they are now sinking their beaks into national security.

"The results are encouraging. The eagles are making good progress," said Commander Christophe, who heads the air safety squadron that is training the plumed predators.

Like all French military personnel, he offers only his first name and rank to journalists.

He says the birds are performing three to four months ahead of projections.