Dazzler (weapon)

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Glare Mout dazzler made by B.E. Meyers

A dazzler is a non-lethal weapon which uses intense directed radiation to temporarily disable its target with flash blindness. Targets can include sensors or human vision.

Initially developed for military use, non-military products are becoming available for use in law enforcement and security.[1][2]

Design[]

Dazzlers emit infrared or invisible light against various electronic sensors, and visible light against humans, when they are intended to cause no long-term damage to eyes. The emitters are usually lasers, making what is termed a laser dazzler. Most of the contemporary systems can be carried by a person, and operate in either the red (a laser diode) or green (a diode-pumped solid-state laser, DPSS) areas of the electromagnetic spectrum. The green laser is chosen for its unique ability to react with the human eye.[3]

History[]

Some searchlights are bright enough to cause permanent or temporary blindness, and they were used to dazzle the crews of bombers during World War II. Whirling Spray was a system of search lights fitted with rotating mirrors which was used to dazzle and confuse pilots attacking the Suez canal.[4] This was developed into the Canal Defence Light, a small mobile tank mounted system intended for use in the Rhine crossings. However, the system was mainly used as conventional searchlights.

Handgun or rifle-mounted lights may also be used to temporarily blind an opponent and are sometimes marketed for that purpose. In both cases the primary purpose is to illuminate the target and their use to disorient is secondary.

A Green Laser Dazzler attached to a M240B during the Iraq War.

The first reported use of laser dazzlers in combat was possibly by the British, during the Falklands War of 1982, when they were reputedly fitted to various Royal Navy warships to hinder low-level Argentinian air attacks.[5][6] However, Michael Heseltine, the UK's Secretary of State for Defence immediately after the conflict, advised that whilst the dazzlers had been deployed they were not used.[7]

At the end of Operation Desert Storm, F-15E crews observing the Iraqi military's massacre of Kurdish civilians at Chamchamal were forbidden from firing on the attackers, but instead used their lasers as a dazzler weapon. This ultimately proved ineffective in crashing any attack helicopters.[8]

On 18 May 2006, the U.S. military announced it was using laser dazzlers mounted on M4 rifles in troops in Iraq as a non-lethal way to stop drivers who fail to stop at checkpoints manned by American soldiers.[9]

Countermeasures[]

One defense against laser dazzlers are narrowband optical filters tuned to the frequency of the laser. To counter such defense, dazzlers can employ emitters using more than one wavelength, or tunable lasers with wider range of output. Another defense is photochromic materials able to become opaque under high light energy densities. Nonlinear optics techniques are being investigated: e.g. vanadium-doped zinc telluride (V:ZnTe) can be used to form electro-optic power limiters able to selectively block the intense dazzler beam without affecting weaker light from an observed scene.

Legislation[]

Weapons designed to cause permanent blindness are banned by the 1995 United Nations Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons. The dazzler is a non-lethal weapon intended to cause temporary blindness or disorientation and therefore falls outside this protocol.[citation needed]

Manufacturers and models[]

JD-3 laser dazzler on Type 99A tank. The dazzler can be seen at the top-right, located behind the gunner thermal sight.
  • LE Systems, under the sponsorship of DARPA, developed a dazzler based on a DPSS laser, with green light output at 532 nm, essentially a higher-intensity version of a green laser pointer. The advantage of 532 nm wavelength lies in its ability to interact with human eyes in daylight and reduced light conditions.
  • The Glare Mout and Glare LA-9/P, developed by B.E. Meyers,[10] provide a non-lethal deterrent weapon which temporarily interferes with a subject's vision while causing no eye damage. Unlike simple laser pointers that are engineered to emit a tight beam, these lasers are designed to emit a slightly diverging green beam that is less of an eye hazard but retain the desired effect on the viewer. The diverging output also results in a larger spot at the intended target, making aiming the device at long distances, or at multiple subjects, much easier. The Glare Mout's effective range is 150m–2 km. The LA-9/P effective range is 300m–4 km, and it has a further safety feature that neutralizes the possibility of eye injury even at close ranges.
  • The Dazer Laser Guardian, Dazer Laser Stealth and "Dazer Laser Defender" by Laser Energetics, Inc. are different types of optical distraction laser systems which can temporarily visually impair, illuminate, target designate, warn and/or communicate visually with the intended target. It is similar to the LANL-developed optical munition, Project Perseus. The U.S. Marine Corps brought Saber 203 dazzlers to Somalia in January 1995 during Operation United Shield, but senior U.S. Department of Defense officials reportedly halted its experimental use in Somalia at the last minute for "humane reasons".[11][12] According to the Air Force, the Saber 203 system is also usable for law enforcement purposes.
  • The JD-3 laser dazzler is mounted on the Chinese Type 98 main battle tank. It is coupled with a laser radiation detector, and automatically aims for the enemy's illuminating laser designator, attempting to overwhelm its optical systems or blind the operator.
  • The ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber is a Chinese electro-optic countermeasure laser device. It can blind enemy troops at up to 2 to 3 km range and temporarily blind them at up to 10 km range. Note that this weapon is banned by the 1995 United Nations Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons. See ZM-87 for more information.
  • The Photonic Disruptor, classified as a threat assessment laser (TALI), was developed and manufactured by Wicked Lasers in cooperation with Xtreme Alternative Defense Systems. This tactical laser is equipped with a versatile focus-adjustable collimating lens to compensate for range and power intensity when used at close range to incapacitate an attacker, at a distance to safely identify threats. The Photonic Disruptor has been featured on Discovery Channel's "Future Weapons." It was also reportedly used by Sea Shepherd Conservation Society during their operations with the Ady Gil in the Southern Ocean against Japanese whaling.[13]
  • The Outfit DEC or Laser Dazzle Sight (LDS) is a British ship-based laser, used since the 1980s The veiling-glare laser works on ultraviolet and is designed to dazzle by causing fluorescence in the lens of the human eye. There are other such laser weapon systems in development.[12][14][15][16]
PHaSR, a United States dazzler style weapon.
  • StunRay is a less-lethal optical incapacitation effector developed by Genesis Illumination Inc. It uses collimated incoherent (non-laser) broad spectrum visible and near infrared light from a short-arc lamp to safely and temporarily impair vision, disorient and incapacitate aggressors for 5 seconds to 3 minutes without causing physical harm. Full recover generally occurs in 10–20 minutes. The hand-held model is designed for a range of 10m to 100m. StunRay can be scaled up for ranges from 100m to 1000m for vehicle mounting, checkpoints, secure facilities, patrol boats, and ship protection.[17]
  • The PHaSR or Personnel halting and stimulation response rifle was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense.
  • Three US Patents are held by Science & Engineering Associates (SEA) who is now QinetiQ North America. They are: 5,685,636 Eye Safe Laser Security Device; 6,007,218 Self-Contained Laser Illuminator Module; and 6,190,022 B1 Enhanced Non-Lethal Security Device.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Mark Harris (27 May 2009). "US cops and military to get laser guns". Techradar.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  2. ^ Chris Matyszczyk (23 July 2010). "Police to experiment with blinding 'Dazer Laser'?". CNET.com. Retrieved 28 July 2010.
  3. ^ Green laser dazzler
  4. ^ "Real Lives: Magic at War". Channel 4.
  5. ^ "Type 22 frigates". Haze Gray & Underway website. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  6. ^ "The Buzz 27 January 2003 - Man-made Bolts of Lightning". ABC Radio National. Abc.net.au. 27 January 2003. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ Davies (2005). "2". Desert Shield and Desert Storm. pp. 30–31.
  9. ^ "NewsLibrary.com". Nl.newsbank.com. 2006-05-18. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
  10. ^ "B.E. Meyers & Co., Inc". Retrieved 22 September 2011.
  11. ^ Schmitt, Eric (February 15, 1995). "Now, to the Shores of Somalia with Beanbag Guns and Goo". New York Times.
  12. ^ Jump up to: a b "U.S. Blinding Laser Weapons". Human Rights Watch Report. May 1995., Vol. 7, No. 5
  13. ^ Hambling, David (15 January 2010). "Whaling Protesters Pioneer Non-Lethal Warfare". Wired, Danger Room.
  14. ^ "Company Search: Irwin Desman". Parasitic Protocol Portfolio. Archived from the original on 2007-02-20.
  15. ^ "dead link". Archived from the original on 2001-07-24.
  16. ^ "dead link". Archived from the original on 2007-09-27.
  17. ^ "StunRay Non-Lethal Technology". Genesis-illumination.com. Retrieved 2012-12-05.

References[]

  • Lisa A. Small, Blinding Laser Weapons: It is Time for the International Community to Take Off Its Blinders, online ICLTD INC.
  • Louise Doswald-Beck, 30.06.1996, New Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, International Review of the Red Cross Nr. 312, S.272–299, online International Review of the Red Cross
  • Burrus M. Carnahan, Marjorie Robertson, The American Journal of International Law, The Protocol on "Blinding Laser Weapons": A New Direction for International Humanitarian Law, Vol. 90, Nr. 3 (Juli 1996), Pages 484–490.
  • Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project, December 2006 Occasional Paper, No.1: The Early History of "Non-Lethal" Weapons, online University of Bradford (PDF)
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