Posted on 09/28/2004 9:15:16 PM PDT by blogblogginaway
The story is somewhere on FR archives. I remember reading it, here, at the time.
Actually, Clancy used an ultra-bright, highly-targetable spotlight to blind the pilots in DEBT OF HONOR, I believe. Pretty much same principle, except for the fact that this is probably much easier to pull off now, given the availability of stronger laser gear.
MM
Why not just drop onto asphalt.
I would like to know a lot more details about this. Most airline pilots have very limited vision out of the cockpit, especially toward the ground. I am not doubting the report, but I am hesitant to take it on face value. The angle that a laser beam would have to enter the eye to damage it is pretty narrow. It will be interesting to see what comes up on this.
Anyway the helicopter incident was '97 or '98 and a couple RCMPs were aboard the helicopter with the USNA pilot. After looking at all the facts and superficially looking aboard the vessel for a super Russian laser gun designed to take out pilot retinas, it was decided that the Russians probably were using a laser distance finder to see exactly how close the helicopter was approaching their vessel.
That was the story in a nutshell as far as can be declassified for the perpetuation of conspiracy theories. Now the super laser gun is being used against Delta pilots... too bad the Russians didn't use their killer weapon against the terrorists in Chechnya.
Bush did it. I have a memo to prove it.
A joint US-Canadian recon flight. The freighter was inspected afterwards, but nothing found (probably dumped the laser over the fantail before port).
how high up was the plane at the time? seems kinda hard to get the right angle into the cockpit?
I agree with you ; somethings not totally right with this described situation.
This has been happening off and on to some of our pilots off our coasts as various governments play with these things from the usual "fishing vessels".
Its always been a military pilot though.
Perhaps someone is playing with one from another plan or, shock gasp, from a sattelite.
Thats the bit about SDI I don't think we've thought thru yet. Its billed as a defensive weapon but in reality it should be able to pick off pretty small targets on the ground as well. At least thats my thought, physicists feel free to disagree. I still think its a good idea but like all weapons it depends on who's at the helm.
I remember this happening and the Clinton administration silenced it.
I use to make my living shooting lasers into retina (diabetic eye disease) Much of the retina can take significant laser damage but not the macula which is about the size of the tip of a pencil.
Just a thought but...
Is it possible to "laser rangefind" a jetliner at altitude?
Someone scouting a potential attack?
However, because the beam was actually visibly spotted inside the cockpit this tells me it was not raster scanned, but rather was a directed beam. The backlash between the gears on a guidance system would induce enough error to make such direction impossible.
Basically, this was quite a feat, and DEFINATELY must require a specialized apparatus.
At cruising altitude, the pilot wouldn't be suseptable. Take-offs, landings and other low altitude manuvers are a different matter.
It could be. You can get a 5mw green pointer on ebay, and also on ebay is a kit to boost it to 40mw.
40 mw of green laser is VERY bright and even a brief exposure would be blinding. A long exposure would cause damage, but your blink reflex would save you (for a visible laser).
A 5 or 15 W light show laser would cause damage with a millisecond direct exposure. It would be harder to steer manually but easy to loop with a video camera for tracking with the galvos.
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