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What are the advantages of an IR laser, as opposed to flares which seem to be a more conventional and widely-used countermeasure?
by hammock 5y ago
What are the advantages of an IR laser, as opposed to flares which seem to be a more conventional and widely-used countermeasure?
- VLM 5y agocapex vs opex. Unless they burn the laser out its pretty cheap to operate. Also its going to be very difficult to file an insurance claim with evidence that grannie or some amateur astronomer or hunter looking thru binocs got cataracts because a specific fedex plane flew over, but when a flare starts a fire there's usually enough debris in the wreckage to prove where it came from.
- Someone1234 5y agoLower maintenance, lower cost, and higher safety. Having something that is designed to start a fire permanently attached to an aircraft isn't ideal even at the best of times. If you're going in/out of warzones, the trade-offs could absolutely make sense but as a "standard feature" a IR laser is inexpensive and works "well enough."