UAV`er over franske atomkraftanlegg

Catch me if you can: More drones break into France's nuclear air space

Two aircraft - presumably drones - were spotted flying over a French nuclear power plant on Saturday. The incident happened amid the country's efforts aimed at detecting and intercepting such flying objects above nuclear facilities. 

 The latest intrusion happened at a nuclear power plant in Nogent-sur-Seine in north-central France, AFP reported on Sunday. 

 "Around 6:40 p.m., site safety officers observed two flying objects that flew over the land reserve located on the perimeter of the nuclear plant," a spokesman for the power station told AFP. The objects were believed to be drones, and the gendarmerie has been alerted.

Last year, French authorities revealed that between early October and late November unidentified drones were spotted over 13 of France's 19 nuclear power plants. Unauthorized access to the area around and above such facilities is strictly prohibited by law. The restricted airspace - up to 1,000 meters above plants - is monitored by the air force, but most radar equipment is not capable of detecting small, low-flying objects.

Although officials previously said drones do not pose any direct threat to nuclear safety, repeated incidents over past three months have caused the French National Research Agency to launch a tender for systems to detect, intercept and neutralize offensive drones.