The Pentagon said new equipment is needed to protect Air Force crews from “emerging laser threats” in a contract announcement late last month. A laser shined into a cockpit can distract and potentially blind a pilot.
The new devices “shall provide protection sufficient to prevent permanent eye damage and protection against the temporary effects of laser weapons/devices,” a May contracting document states.
Gentex and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging received $98.3 million deals to deliver the new eye protection through 2024. The new glasses and visors must work with pilots’ current helmets.
The contracts came less than five months after U.S. officials accused China of firing military-grade lasers into cockpits of American aircraft. Two American C-130 pilots reportedly suffered minor eye injuries during one incident. Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in May that the United States. filed a complaint with China, which denies it was behind the incident over Djibouti. The U.S. and China have separate bases in the African nation. The American base, Camp Lemonnier, is a hub for special operations forces, counter-terrorism, and intelligence-gathering missions in the Horn of Africa and the Middle East.
In June, the Pentagon said its pilots were being targeted repeatedly by Chinese lasers as planes flew over disputed islands in the Pacific.
Shining a laser at an aircraft is a federal crime. In spite of this, each year commercial pilots report thousands of incidents involving available laser pointed shined into their cockpits. These devices can also have commercial applications and protect many.
