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Lasers and aviation safety. Lasers are one of the main threats of aviation safety. Under certain conditions, laser light or other bright lights (spotlights, searchlights) directed at aircraft can be a hazard. The most likely scenario is when a bright visible laser light causes distraction or temporary flash blindness to a pilot, during a ...
Airborne laser. An airborne laser (ABL) is a laser system operated from a flying platform, as in the: Soviet/Russian Beriev A-60 (1981, active) American Boeing YAL-1 (2002-2012, scrapped) An American modified NKC-135A unit (1975-1984, in storage.)
Scrapped. The Boeing YAL-1 airborne laser testbed was a modified Boeing 747-400F with a megawatt-class chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL) mounted inside. It was primarily designed to test its feasibility as a missile defense system to destroy tactical ballistic missiles (TBMs) while in boost phase. The aircraft was designated YAL-1A in 2004 by ...
The Beriev A-60 is a Russian airborne laser laboratory aircraft based on the Ilyushin Il-76MD transport— it was originally developed in the former Soviet Union for its airborne forces. In the 1970s a special aviation complex was established by the Soviets at Taganrog machine-building factory to develop airborne laser technology for the Soviet ...
A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to designate a target. Laser designators provide targeting for laser-guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions, such as the Paveway series of bombs, AGM-114 Hellfire, or the M712 Copperhead round, respectively. When a target is marked by a designator, the beam is invisible ...
A laser weapon[2] is a type of directed-energy weapon that uses lasers to inflict damage. Whether they will be deployed as practical, high-performance military weapons remains to be seen. [3][4] One of the major issues with laser weapons is atmospheric thermal blooming, which is still largely unsolved.
An electronic countermeasure (ECM) is an electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems, like infrared (IR) or lasers. It may be used both offensively and defensively to deny targeting information to an enemy. The system may make many separate targets appear to the enemy, or make the real ...
Big Crow is the designation of the two NKC-135 test-bed aircraft (55-3132 and 63-8050) heavily modified for electronic warfare testing. These planes were also used as a target simulator for flight testing the Boeing YAL-1 Airborne Laser. [ 5 ] On March 15, 2007, the YAL-1 successfully fired this laser in flight, hitting its target.