Pentagon Tests Laser Warning for Planes

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon is considering using lasers to warn pilots they've flown into restricted airspace, an unusual choice because the government also says terrorists might use the beams of light to blind pilots as they approach airports.

The North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, has been researching the use of alternating red and green lasers as a way to communicate with pilots flying too near the Capitol or the White House when they can't be reached by radio.

NORAD tried the ground-based laser signals on a test plane flying into Washington's Reagan National Airport last Friday. The low-intensity lights are safe for the eyes, the command said in a statement.

If the system becomes operational, the Federal Aviation Administration would send a special notice to pilots describing the lights and telling them what to do if they see them.........

http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/wire/sns-ap-lasers-planes,0,294792.story?coll=sns-ap-politics-headlines

[Cannikin]

1. thank goodness..

that government contractor came up with that $1,300 per unit detector just in time for this 'laser crisis'.

[merwin]

2. It sounds a lot like those previous events could have been tests of

this system that they didn't want to become public.

It's much easier to blame terrorists, since the masses will take anything regarding terrorists at face value.

[NYC]

3. How bizarre is that?

A man in Newark was hauled away as a potential terrorist because he and his child were using a laser pointed in the sky. We heard about how he possibly intended to blind pilots. (I never heard what became of that man.)

Now, the White House wants to use the lasers?

The Pentagon is considering using lasers to warn pilots they've flown into restricted airspace, an unusual choice because the government also says terrorists might use the beams of light to blind pilots as they approach airports.

So, can't the government blind the pilots? If these lasers are used to blind pilots, why would the government point them at the pilots?

[BiggJawn]

4. Because if you fly into a "Restricted Area"...

They WANT you blinded!
Zero Tolerance, just like we teach in our schools, just like the kids will grow up to accept in their adult lives....

[truthisfreedom]

5. non-dangerous lasers are an excellent way to warn pilots. the lights are

not ignorable... it's an excellent way of sending a message and knowing almost for certain that the pilot is receiving it. it will save lives if the choice is whether to shoot someone down or not... think about it. this is a GOOD idea, not a bad one. red, you turn around. green, you're far enough away. the actual source of the beam becomes the way to determine what direction to go. it's cheap, covers a huge distance, requires fewer people to operate, and reduces indecision about when to scramble a fighter.

[dbt]

6. Kick.

Something still smells funny.

:freak:
dbt

[Mist]

7. Yep--too easy to blame lasers on "terrorists" if convenient n/t