It surprises me that an attack as simple as this is effective against a military aircraft. Wouldn't this be an ideal tactic for low technology insurgents to use as a counter against attack helicopters?
This was a popular strategy during the Egyptian uprisings recently. There are some very impressive pictures of helicopters blinded by hundreds of lasers from massive protest crowds.
Okay, this is an extreme case, but why are they so dangerous when there's only 1 laser?
I'm genuinely interested, as it's always told to be such a hazard.
Yes, frankly. Blinding lasers are a pretty horrible threat that it’s hard to protect against. The only real way is to use cameras and screens as intermediary protection.
I think that depends on the willingness of the attack copter “to attack”. In this case they are not in a war, thus unwilling to escalate, in a war sitch, I’m sure they’d fire back. (Neutralize the source, in parlance).
The right tactics would be difficult to deal with. Use several sources in different positions that go on and off so its difficult to pinpoint. Use remote aiming. Use a drone or several drones.
In theory yes, in practice, it remains to be seen. We saw in the six-day war how trained personnel on the ground who were supposed to move batteries failed to do so and many other poor choices even after having been trained by soviets. So the israelly forces had a nice turkey shoot.
I was thinking more like ISIS in Syria, a highly asymetric conflict. They were highly adaptive and used drones, etc. Also, they were not opposed to using disposable people, it would be very easy for them to force kids to spread out and use laser pointers. So what if a few kids get killed, it could be worth it if it distracts the helicopter for a short time, maybe it lets more valuable assets hide or allows a better shot for someone with an RPG.
If they are expecting it, there are glasses that they can wear to prevent the attack from being effective. Really bulky and uncomfortable to be wearing in peacetime though.
I remember this being discussed often in the 1980s. Early concept art for Boeing's entry in the LHX helicopter program (which eventually became RAH-66 Comanche) showed a completely windowless cockpit, where the pilot would use a virtual-reality-style helmet in order to not be exposed to lasers. [1,2] Meanwhile, the soviet union was developing a laser tank! [3] Throughout the 1980s people were arguing for an international treaty banning blinding laser weapons, which eventually came into effect in 1998. [4]
I guess this may become an issue again now. U.S. navy ships are currently experimenting with laser weapons, and one of the stated uses is to blind UAV sensors. Using it to blind humans would be illegal, but presumably possible.
Chinese dictatorship is panicking; it’s economy is en route to a crash, sped up by tariffs and trade restrictions coming from US and Europe. It will be interesting if their people wake up to their dystopia filled with pollution, random house arrests, disappearances, censorship, higher prices for consumer goods, and jobs disappearing.
People will wake up and realize they are debt slaves to an elite few, with livelihoods being made obsolete by tech, with privacy becoming a luxury, with media being used to focus public rage at any particular target?
> Chinese dictatorship is panicking; it’s economy is en route to a crash
China is big. Population-wise, militarily and economically. Big economies don't quickly crash in regime-changing ways.
Absent incompetence, the elites will live well for a generation. After that the pattern, as most dictatorships, is familiar--a generation or two that leech amidst decline before a third or fourth which must make radical changes or be violently overthrown (e.g. through insurrection or invasion).
Seems like a simple mirror coating (or gold foil) on the pilot's visor could mitigate. Or, if pilots don't have visor, make each aircraft have a few pairs of anti-laser sunglasses if they are being bothered.
26 comments
[ 1.7 ms ] story [ 70.1 ms ] threadhttps://mashable.com/2013/07/01/egypt-protestors-laser-point...
Also drones.
But I can imagine someone rigging a contraption to aim automatically. That would be bad news for the choppper.
I guess this may become an issue again now. U.S. navy ships are currently experimenting with laser weapons, and one of the stated uses is to blind UAV sensors. Using it to blind humans would be illegal, but presumably possible.
[1] https://youroker.livejournal.com/52416.html [2] https://i.imgur.com/GbGLTcg.jpg [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1K17_Szhatie [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Blinding_Laser_Wea...
https://pilotweb.nas.faa.gov/PilotWeb/notamRetrievalByICAOAc...
Scroll to the bottom.
People will wake up and realize they are debt slaves to an elite few, with livelihoods being made obsolete by tech, with privacy becoming a luxury, with media being used to focus public rage at any particular target?
China is big. Population-wise, militarily and economically. Big economies don't quickly crash in regime-changing ways.
Absent incompetence, the elites will live well for a generation. After that the pattern, as most dictatorships, is familiar--a generation or two that leech amidst decline before a third or fourth which must make radical changes or be violently overthrown (e.g. through insurrection or invasion).