The Australian Defence Department has accused a Chinese navy ship of firing a laser at one of its aircrafts, putting the crew in danger.
Laser light can temporarily blind an airplane pilot, putting the crew and passengers at risk of an accident. AFP
The Australian Defence Department has accused a Chinese navy ship of firing a laser at one of its aircrafts, putting the crew in danger.
The Associated Press reported that on 17 February, a P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane was illuminated by a laser while in flight over Australia’s northern approaches.
Such episodes are not uncommon as the US and its allies accuse China of asserting its military might, and have taken steps to challenge Beijing’s growing clout in the western Pacific and elsewhere.
The department said in a statement Saturday that the laser came from a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel. It was accompanying another Chinese ship that transited through the Torres Strait. Both ships were now in the Coral Sea, east of Australia, it said.
Let’s take a look at what happens when a laser is shone at an airplane and how it can put the crew at risk:
Effect of laser light on airplanes
The Australian Defence Department said that illumination of the aircraft by the Chinese vessel is a serious safety incident.
Lasers present a serious problem because when aimed at aircraft they can injure pilots or temporarily blind them: which can present safety risks particularly as they are taking off and landing.
According to Public Health England guidelines, laser pens should have a maximum one milliwatt power output when sold to the public. However, more powerful lasers are also easily available online.
It says: “A number of high-power laser pointers, generally emitting green beams, are available over the internet. The laser beam powers may be up to a few hundred milliwatts.
“These devices are extremely dangerous and are not suitable for sale to the public,” it says.
As per a BBC report, aviation industry experts say lasers can be “very” dangerous to pilots, and therefore planes.
“It’s very like a lightning strike in that it’s very instantaneous, very bright light, which is dazzling. If it’s targeted in exactly the wrong way you could permanently damage someone’s sight,” commercial airline pilot Janet Alexander told BBC.
Incidents of lasers hitting airplanes
In 2020, the US also accused the Chinese navy of firing a laser at one of its Poseidon planes over the Pacific. China denied it, saying the plane had circled at low altitude over its warship despite repeated warnings.
In 2019, Australian navy helicopter pilots reported being hit by lasers while exercising in the South China Sea, forcing them to land as a precaution.
In 2018, the US issued a formal complaint to the Chinese government over the use of high-grade lasers near the military base in Djibouti that were directed at aircraft and resulted in minor injuries to two American pilots.
As per a report by the Federal Aviation Administration {FAA} of the US, pilots reported more than 9, 700 laser strikes, averaging about 131 per week, in 2021.
Since 2012, it has been a federal crime to point a laser at an aircraft.
According to Forbes, pointing a laser at an aircraft is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The act of pointing a laser at an aircraft while it’s taking off or landing can turn fatal.
In 2021, a Virgin Atlantic flight to Israel from London was aborted after a laser beam was shone into the cockpit from the ground as it took off.
The United Kingdom also made it a punishable offense with up to five years in jail and courts can “impose unlimited fines”, according to the Independent.
With inputs from agencies
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