Sgt Stryker's post makes sense to me.
Airline Laser Threat
Posted By: Phantom @ 1620 on 20050101
There has recently been a huge media feeding frenzy on the prospect of laser devices being used to blind pilots of commercial airliners. The reports note that no damage was done to the crew, and the planes landed safely.
There is an assumption that lasers are being used to blind pilots. The type of laser that could blind two pilots would, first, have to be highly sophisticated and expensive and, second, would have to hit the cockpit from the front of the aircraft. A difficult feat on an object moving over 300 miles per hour.
The recent events involved lasers pointed from the ground up. At over 8000 feet.
A laser is just like any other light source. It expands to infinity, unless the light source is restricted and confined. It is not uncommon these days for people, especially hunters, to have laser range finders. The least expensive will accurately provide a range up to 400 meters with a margin of error of 3 meters. Laser rangefinders used by hunters can reach 1200 meters, with expense multiplying at each interval.
An aircraft at 8500 feet is a different class of laser. To monitor a stationary target at the range would require a device that costs over $7000. A moving target, like an aircraft, moves us over $10,000.
I am not going to post the sites that have hardware that can track a plane over 3000 meters. Suffice it to say that there are many. Which brings us to the point of this article.
Lasers are not being used to blind pilots. Lasers are being used to measure straight line distance from the ground to an aircraft aircraft at its most vulnerable state - landing. An aircraft on takeoff would be a more difficult target - maximum power and maximum climb. But a landing ship slows down to a speed just short of a stall and follows a prescribed path of flight .
The information regarding an aircraft’s peak vulnerability would be invaluable. Documenting landing approaches and and straight line distances would be highly useful in target acquisition. That information is critical regarding available weapons systems.
Since 2002, the FBI has been issuing warnings about shoulder fired missiles being smuggled into the U.S. The effective range of older shoulder fired missiles is between 11,000 and 15,000 feet and can be fired from up to 3 miles away from the target. Newer models, which are already bring copied by the likes of North Korea, China and Pakistan have ranges exceeding 22,000 feet with greater stand off distances.
In September of 2003, the Department of Homeland Security began soliciting bids for anti-missile devices for commercial aircraft. That was the beginning of an 18 to 24 month screening process.
In late December of 2004, it was revealed that Los Angeles Airport (LAX) was increasing its preparedness for a shoulder fired missile attack. John Miller, head of the LAPD Counterterrorism Bureau, explained that about 20,000 shoulder-fired missiles were currently on the black market. The black market prices range from $5,000 to $30,000, presumably based on the vintage of the weapon.
We have seen how cost conscious terrorists tend to be. Why waste an investment of $5000 to $30,000 when it turns out your target is beyond the range of your black market missile.
The laser activity is more than likely a target acquisition exercise.
And people are taking notes.
There are too many cities and too many locations reporting laser incidents. In my view, they are calculating maximum ranges, with no intent to blind the crew.
Our enemies know full well the impact another threat to aviation security would have on this Country. They are trying to crash airships and cripple our transportation industry before we can equip commercial aircraft with effective countermeasures. It is telling that the LAPD is moving to protect LAX against a missile threat against increasing incidents of lasers targeting commercial aircraft. |
