The French military are testing pilotless reconnaissance planes to be used in the massive security operation put in place for the upcoming Group of Eight (G8) summit in the Alpine resort of Evian.
The drones - often used to track the movements of people on the ground - took off from an airfield in Annecy, where army personnel have set up camp south of the summit site, military sources said.
France and neighboring Switzerland have instituted a raft of security measures ahead of the summit - running from June 1st - 3rd - with Evian completely sealed off and an 18-mile buffer zone set up around the chic lakefront spa town.
Some 15,000 French security personnel, including 11,000 troops, will patrol the area where the leaders of the Group of Eight - the world's seven wealthiest nations plus Russia - will hold their annual summit.
Helicopters, fighter jets, aircraft equipped with radar warning systems, drones and two surface-to-air Crotale missile batteries will be in place to provide security for the summit, according to the French defense ministry.
France re-introduced border controls on May 22nd, effective until June 4th.
Leaders from the Group of Eight - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - are due to attend the meeting in Evian, located near the border with Switzerland.
AFP