Idiots out for kicks shining laser pens at airline and helicopter pilots has been a recent worrying fad. There are more than 1000 incidents each year in the UK alone.
Now comes a more sinister variant – military pilots facing high-power lasers that cause permanent eye injury. This time it’s not delinquents causing trouble, but an arms race in dazzling lasers and protective technology. It’s literally a battle for the eyesight of personnel.
In May, the US Department of Defense said from China’s naval base in the African state of Djibouti. Similar incidents have been , although China’s ministry of defence reportedly said claims that it targets pilots are ““.
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It is known that China currently has at least four types of tactical laser designed to dazzle. Analyst Robert Bunker of the US Army’s War College says that the recent incidents are a combination of harassment and psychological warfare, to discourage observation of Chinese ships and facilities. In addition they help test the effectiveness of the lasers in realistic conditions.
Dazzling devices
The Ukrainian government also alleges that Russian-backed separatists are ; one Ukrainian soldier reportedly sustained “eye burn” while observing opposing forces in March.
Part of the problem is that such weapons are a grey area under international law. The ability to target vision was recognised after Soviet ships directed in the Cold War. Blinding lasers were banned by a special .
However, that prohibition only applies to weapons intended to cause permanent blindness to the naked eye. Dazzling lasers, like the green-laser “” widely used by US forces to stop cars at checkpoints, are permitted. Yet even these can cause eye damage when viewed through binoculars, for example. That’s partly why the US Marine Corps is acquiring a new dazzler, known as , claimed to be safer than existing devices.
Pilots increasingly need physical protection. In 2016 the US Air Force paid about $30 million for 12,000 pairs of special spectacles, which block specific wavelengths while letting most light through. As the problem worsens, work continues on more advanced protection, such as a that can be applied to cockpit canopies and windows to stop laser light of any wavelength.
Blinding drones
That’s timely, seeing as the laser wars could escalate with the introduction of higher powered dazzlers intended to blind drones. In 2017, Marduk Technologies of Estonia . Marduk CEO Indrek Seppo says it is not intended to be used against people, but acknowledges there will be safety concerns, “especially when we are using lasers able to damage sensors – even the reflection from the UAV [drone] can be harmful for human eyes”.
In March, Lockheed Martin received a $150m contract to supply a system called to the US Navy. HELIOS will dazzle drones attempting to snoop on warships. It is not a blinding laser under the Geneva definition, because it is not intended for use against humans, but it is not always easy to tell crewed aircraft from uncrewed.
China is also developing . This will prompt the development of better laser protection and so on, in a familiar arms race pattern.
It all adds up to a depressing reminder of what can happen when technology with many useful applications gets turned against people. The only ray of light is that airline pilots will probably benefit. Protective coatings developed for combat aircraft will ultimately provide excellent protection against the puny laser pointers wielded by troublemakers.
