Paris: why will a swarm of 30 drones be flying over the capital this week?

This Tuesday, January 9 and Wednesday, January 10, 2023, if you happen to pass by the Hôtel National des Invalides and look up into the sky, then you're likely to see a gathering of 30 drones flying over the legendary Parisian monument. We explain why.

The Préfecture de Police regularly gives the go-ahead for helicopters to fly over the capital as part of special helicopter operations. On Tuesday January 9 and Wednesday January 10, 2024, smaller helicopters will be flying over Paris. In a press release issued on January 5, the Préfecture de police de Paris announced that it had given the go-ahead for drones to fly over the capital. And it's not one drone that will be flying over Paris on Tuesday and Wednesday, but rather a swarm of 30 drones in all!

But where and why is this drone flyover taking place on January 9 and 10? More precisely, this swarm of 30 drones will be flying over the famousHôtel National des Invalides on January 9 between 4:00 and 4:30 pm, for a day of rehearsals, then on January 10 between 3:00 and 4:30 pm. This drone flyover of Paris, requested and therefore obtained by the French Army, , takes place " as part of the ceremony to create the Commandment des Actions Spéciales Terre ", as the Préfecture de police points out in the same press release.

So why did the FrenchArmy choose to fly these 30 drones over theHôtel National des Invalides in Paris? TheHôtel national des Invalides - located in the capital's 7th arrondissement - is a landmark in France's military history, embodying the emblematic values of the Republic through its national, civil and military tribute ceremonies. The monument houses the Musée de l'Armée, one of Europe's most exceptional collections of military history, as well as the tomb of Napoleon I.

Hôtel national des Invalides: a landmark in France's military history
Located in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, the Hôtel des Invalides is an impressive site that plunges us into France's military history. Three museums are housed here: the Museum of the Army, the Museum of the Order of the Liberation and the Museum of the Plans-Reliefs, as well as the tomb of Napoleon 1st, which lies beneath the Invalides dome. [Read more]

It is forbidden to fly over Paris. However, the Prefect of Police may grant exemptions to professionals. This will be the case on January 9 and 10, 2024, when these 30 drones fly over the capital.

Paris: why will a swarm of 30 drones be flying over the capital this week?

Calendar

_