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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 us

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?

ancientworldnow 8y ago
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.
- YaxelPerez 8y ago
  Here's a video of the lasers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfagq8PjpM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfagq8PjpM
  - natseja 8y ago
    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.
  - Lionsion 8y ago
    This photo shows the situation much more clearly: https://mashable.com/2013/07/01/egypt-protestors-laser-pointers/ https://mashable.com/2013/07/01/egypt-protestors-laser-point...
simonh 8y ago
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.
- DenisM 8y ago
  Light filters? We know the exact frequencies after all, and there is only a handful.
mc32 8y ago
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).
- koboll 8y ago
  And there's no better way to give away your position than to display a beam of light emanating from it.
  - drb91 8y ago
    This would be pretty easy to automate so you could turn it on and off remotely.
- thinkcontext 8y ago
  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.
  - mc32 8y ago
    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.
    - thinkcontext 8y ago
      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.
DenisM 8y ago
Helicopter can lay waste from several kilometers away, and it’s very hard to hit at that distance, being only a small dot in the sky. Also drones. But I can imagine someone rigging a contraption to aim automatically. That would be bad news for the choppper.
zip1234 8y ago
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.
vilhelm_s 8y ago
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. [1] https://youroker.livejournal.com/52416.html https://youroker.livejournal.com/52416.html [2] https://i.imgur.com/GbGLTcg.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GbGLTcg.jpg [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1K17_Szhatie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1K17_Szhatie [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Blinding_Laser_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Blinding_Laser_Wea...

ancientworldnow 8y ago

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.

YaxelPerez 8y ago
Here's a video of the lasers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfagq8PjpM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAfagq8PjpM
- natseja 8y ago
  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.
- Lionsion 8y ago
  This photo shows the situation much more clearly: https://mashable.com/2013/07/01/egypt-protestors-laser-pointers/ https://mashable.com/2013/07/01/egypt-protestors-laser-point...

simonh 8y ago

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.

DenisM 8y ago
Light filters? We know the exact frequencies after all, and there is only a handful.

mc32 8y ago

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).

koboll 8y ago
And there's no better way to give away your position than to display a beam of light emanating from it.
- drb91 8y ago
  This would be pretty easy to automate so you could turn it on and off remotely.
thinkcontext 8y ago
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.
- mc32 8y ago
  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.
  - thinkcontext 8y ago
    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.

DenisM 8y ago

Helicopter can lay waste from several kilometers away, and it’s very hard to hit at that distance, being only a small dot in the sky. Also drones. But I can imagine someone rigging a contraption to aim automatically. That would be bad news for the choppper.

zip1234 8y ago

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.

vilhelm_s 8y ago

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. [1] https://youroker.livejournal.com/52416.html https://youroker.livejournal.com/52416.html [2] https://i.imgur.com/GbGLTcg.jpg https://i.imgur.com/GbGLTcg.jpg [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1K17_Szhatie https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1K17_Szhatie [4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Blinding_Laser_Weapons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protocol_on_Blinding_Laser_Wea...