MILITARY LASERS?

Missileer

Missileer

Active member
I suppose everyone has seen or heard on the news about lasers being used in America to try to "blind" commercial airline pilots. I heard about one incident in Chicago. The beam was described as green and lit up the cockpit until the aircraft landed. What worries me is that this has apparently happened several times. The green color usually means Argon gas and is not a cheap laser to buy or assemble. It lases at around 514 nanometers wavelength but is not capable of eye damage unless it's very close. I have used Argon, Helium Neon (red), and even Irbium glass which is infrared but eyesafe. Usually the rule is that if you can see the laser, it's not dangerous unless close. Has anyone heard of these incidents? If they aren't weirdos, then the enemy is among us and up to new tricks.
 
The US Military does have a few laser systems in testing I believe. I read about some US laser once but it has been a few years ago.
 
My wife told me about it yesturday and I thought she was pulling my leg - Pilot hit by laser. :shock:

"Insurgents" with Lasers? Hey did I sleep for 50 years and waked up to the Moonraker movie? :?

I found out an article and you can read about it on Military News section. But I would like to have more information about lasers over here :)

Cheers:
Doc.S :viking:
 
In one of the jack ryan books the cia used a laser to blind pilots of large aircraft as they where taking off so they would crash. Ironic sounds like some one is trying to do the same thing or it could just be a prank.

would a simple short term solution be to have pilots wear some sort of protective eye wear.
 
The problem with laser protection is (1.) lasers cover a spectrum of wavelengths just like RF and it is impossible to wear goggles that will protect against all lasers. (2) The most damaging lasers are infrared and can't be traced without an infrared viewer so you don't know you are being illuminated until you start having blind spots in your vision. (3) The type of protective optics that will protect against most laser wavelengths are almost opaque to visible light so the pilot will be flying blind.

I worked in Laser Threat Warning for helicopters. We developed a holographic display that converted each wavelength in a color and onto a fiber optic bundle and fed it to circuit boards which told what kind of laser was looking at you, the power being emitted, and the angle of arrival of the beam. The Government cut the funding because the time was 1988 and we had only been interested in being illuminated by a targeting system and not a weapon type laser. I don't think any research has or is being done for eye protection that is technologically advanced enough to use on every plane in the world. It looks like the enemy has come up with the beginnings of a real hard one this time.

I know Russia had powerful enough lasers to burn the retina of a pilot and have done it to us before. The system can lock on to a cockpit and track it as long as it is in line of sight. They are one possible source of materials and technology.
 
sleepyscout said:
thanks Missileer this is a much greater threat then I first thought.
Click to expand...
No sweat sleepyscout. I know that explanation is verbose but it only scratches the surface of laser technology. When we work in the same room with a laser of any kind, we have to remove all metallic objects, watches, rings, etc because when a beam is reflected from a shiny surface, the characteristics can change from one wavelength to several which may be damaging to the eye whereas the original light was not. You can see the implications of illuminating a cockpit without "laser traps" all over it.
 
http://archives.cnn.com/2001/US/01/12/airborne.laser/

Uh oh, 747's with friggin' laser beams! :lol:

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