Laser strikes against airplanes now an "epidemic," says FBI

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 10/07/2012 2:02pm

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/...emic-says-fbi/

Laser Pointer Attacks Taking Off: Pose Serious Threat to Aviation Security

The number of laser attacks in the U.S. is on the rise. Incidents are projected to reach 3,700 this year—compared to just 283 in 2005. That’s a rise of more than 1,100 percent. And that doesn’t include the thousands of attacks that go unreported every year.

George Johnson, a supervisory federal air marshal who is a liaison officer with the FBI, says the number of attacks is almost reaching an “epidemic level.”

On the night of December 8, 2007, Massachusetts State Police Sergeant Timothy Riley and State Trooper Michael Basteri were flying a helicopter over Boston Harbor. It was about 9:30pm and they were escorting a tanker carrying liquid natural gas. The chopper hovered over the Mystic River somewhere between the Distrigas facility in Everett and the Tobin Bridge.

Suddenly Trooper Basteri saw the laser—a powerful green beam coming from the shore. It snaked across the water and up towards the helicopter's cockpit. Basteri warned Riley that the blast of light was imminent, and warned him not to look at it.

Riley in turn quickly struggled to bank the copter to the right so the beam wouldn't penetrate the vehicle. But the concentrated stream moved too fast. "When the laser beam reached the helicopter it immediately filled the cockpit with an intense bright green light unlike anything either man had experienced before," the affidavit said.

After the beam left their vehicle, Riley and Basteri began trying to track it down. To their alarm, it started shining on landing paths at Logan Airport. They called Logan Airport Tower to alert air traffic control, then received permission from their command to leave the tanker and locate the origin of the threat.

**alex** · Posted On: 10/07/2012 2:19pm

kids think that the laser dot wil appear in the cabin like how it appears on their bedroom wall as a tiny dot. these people are generally fucking retards and should be airlifted over a volcano

**slamdunc** · Posted On: 10/07/2012 3:23pm

Originally Posted by Alex

kids think that the laser dot wil appear in the cabin like how it appears on their bedroom wall as a tiny dot. these people are generally fucking retards and should be airlifted over a volcano

There have been so many of these fucktards arrested in the past three years. If they could read, they would know that it isn't that hard to find them and lock them up.

**Mr. Machette** · Posted On: 10/07/2012 7:46pm

UIt's the 21st century. It's only reasonable that we begin to see more and more instances of laser crimes. Next it will be man portable microwave weapons and powered exoskeletons.

Just wait till fifty years from now when people are getting busted for holding underground death matches between dangerous chimera they spliced up in the ol' workshop...

**goodlun** · Posted On: 10/08/2012 1:40am

Originally Posted by Mr. Machette

UIt's the 21st century. It's only reasonable that we begin to see more and more instances of laser crimes. Next it will be man portable microwave weapons and powered exoskeletons.

Just wait till fifty years from now when people are getting busted for holding underground death matches between dangerous chimera they spliced up in the ol' workshop...

http://www.radiolab.org/2008/apr/07/

**Permalost** · Posted On: 10/08/2012 11:45am

Originally Posted by Mr. Machette

Just wait till fifty years from now when people are getting busted for holding underground death matches between dangerous chimera they spliced up in the ol' workshop...

This sounds a lot like Battlebots. That is to say, this sounds like something that will generate a little publicity before failing terribly as public interest wanes. Probably when the engineers realize that some boring chimeric trait is actually the best, like when battlebots realized that the wedge was king. After that every match was who could be the wedgiest wedge.

**bobyclumsyninja** · Posted On: 10/08/2012 1:34pm

Originally Posted by Permalost

Probably when the engineers realize that some boring chimeric trait is actually the best, like when battlebots realized that the wedge was king. After that every match was who could be the wedgiest wedge.

Can we blame Greg Jackson somehow?

**DaTedBear** · Posted On: 10/25/2012 10:40am

As if pointing a laser at an aircraft was not dumb enough, but to pick on a law enforcement craft! Had a student at UL point a laser at our Metro chopper this week. he is not only being charged with the wanton endangerment, but will face the new federal charge which is a felony. Why would you not think you could be caught?

**Permalost** · Posted On: 10/25/2012 11:08am

In Mexico last week, I saw a salesperson in the touristy part of the beach selling various cheap lightup toys for kids, and he also sold green lasers, which he was shining all over to get attention.

**W. Rabbit** · Posted On: 10/25/2012 11:09am

You know, I considered buying one of the Spyder high wattage personal lasers to experiment with and just decided the risks were too high. I don't want to go blind or burn my house down playing with a laser. Or worse.

That's the complicating factor here...the lasers available to the open public aren't just the little ones anymore.

You can buy 1kW lasers with no problem for a few hundred bucks. I think they need to start licensing these things as weapons (much bigger lasers do require licenses, after all)....that may be extreme for this watt range but pretty soon it won't be.

Can you imagine the damage someone could cause to a 747 or helicopter from the ground once these things get a little stronger?