The French Military Is Raising Drone-Hunting Eagles, Which Is Pretty Badass

Dillon Cheverere9 years ago

It seems to me like there would be so many better and more efficient ways to take out a drone but I doubt there are any cooler than drone-hunting golden eagles patrolling the skies. And from the French military, no less.

From the Washington Post:

Under French military supervision, four golden eagle chicks hatched last year atop drones — born into a world of terror and machines they would be bred to destroy.

The eagles — named d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis — grew up with their nemeses. They chased drones through green grass that summer, pecking futilely at composite shells as seen in Sky News footage. They were rewarded with meat, which they ate off the backs of the drones.

When the eagles were ready — this month — d’Artagnan launched screeching from a military control tower across a field, Agence France-Presse reported.

The bird covered 200 meters in 20 seconds, slamming into a drone, then diving with the wreckage into the tall grass.

“The eagles are making good progress,” said the French air force’s commander of a program that adapts the ancient art of falconry to the threats of unmanned flight.

The ancient art of falconry. Fuck that’s cool.

The eagles were named after characters in The Three Musketeers. I’ve never seen that movie and I know nothing about the plot but I assume d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis are cold-blooded savage killers.

You know I love badass predators who do awesome, deadly shit in nature. And if humans can harness that killer instinct for the greater good, I’m all for it..

[via Washington Post]

Image via Shutterstock