Lasers strikes of aircraft continue to occur at a high rate. In the United States, perpetrators of laser strikes are being arrested and prosecuted. The FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of anyone who perpetrates a laser strike in the United States. The ANSI Z136.6 specifies guidance for the visual interference zones for visible lasers during night hours. While laser strikes from green lasers are the most commonly reported, the number of incidents of blue laser strikes is increasing, and other wavelength lasers may become available with advances in laser technology. Considerations for establishing a Nominal Ocular Dazzle Distance (NODD) [1] are proposed as an approach to laser hazard calculations in situations where disruption of vision is an important consideration, but eye damage is highly unlikely. NODD is an estimate of the minimum distance from a source required for visual detection of a target in the presence of laser dazzle, based upon human eye scatter and contrast threshold models, and validated with human subject experiments. Currently, the UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), US Air Force and US Navy are conducting experiments, including human subject experiments, to better define an NODD under different conditions.
展开▼
