Middle Eastern terrorists are aiming lasers at American military flyers at a growing rate, increasing the chances of midair catastrophes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
They are aiming laser pointers at pilots operating in Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and officials at U.S. Air Forces Central Command in Qatar said there have been more than 350 incidents reported in the past seven months.
"Lasing attacks are dangerous and have the potential to confuse, temporarily interfere with the vision of our aircrew, or to permanently damage the eyesight of our service members," Capt. Bill Urban, a U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Journal.
The most damaging laser pointers are green, because the eye sees the color green as the brightest, Patrick Murphy, a laser expert and editor of laserpointersafety.com, told the newspaper.
Pilots can train to manage laser attacks, and can use glare-protection glasses. As well, commercial companies offer glare-resistant screens.
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