ON DECRYPT
The oil giant Aramco was targeted by an attack Saturday in Saudi Arabia. Half of its production has been destroyed. It would be the most violent attack conducted with drones, small remote controlled or programmed aircraft which it is very difficult to protect. "This is the weapon for the terrorist, says Jean-Marc Tanguy, a journalist specializing in defense issues, author of the blog The Mammoth. " For now, there is no weapon against the absolute drone, it's a bit of the eternal struggle of the cuirass and the sword. "
A cheap device, hard to detect, easy to use
The device has all the advantages: "It is a cheap tool, very small, so hard to detect, and very easy to implement, because it can easily integrate a basic military load", continues the expert . Consequence: the response of states against drones is not yet effective. "You would think that an installation as important as an Aramco refinery could be protected, but not enough against a saturating attack like this," he says.
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"In France, we are working to best protect vital sites, such as nuclear power plants, the Elysée or troops in operation," says Jean-Marc Tanguy. The French armies are preparing themselves for the use of drones: in a few years, they should be equipped with 1,300 drones. For their operations in the Sahel, they use such devices called "Reaper", able to fly up to 13,000 meters altitude and for 24 hours in a row to hunt down terrorist groups.