This may sound like science fiction, but the fact is that the laser pointer you use in business presentations or cats can actually shoot down an airplane. You may want to ask: how is this possible?
According to the FBI, a beam of light emitted by a hand-held laser pointer aimed at an airplane on the ground can propagate more than 1.6 kilometers. Pilots who experienced a laser pen attack in the cockpit said the feeling feels like driving a very dark flash in front of you.
A typical laser pointer, like the one used by a university professor in class, has an output of about 5 milliwatts, which sounds certainly not enough to shoot down an airplane. However, unlike the incandescent light bulbs, the laser pens are designed to illuminate a large space, while the laser pens are focused on a very narrow beam that travels very slowly.
The Federal Aviation Administration found that a standard 5-milliwatt green laser pointer was able to burn a human retina 15 meters away and cause a brief blinding of nearly 350 meters. At 3 km, this 5-milliwatt laser pen can seriously interfere with the pilot's vision, which is enough to cause the aircraft to land unsuccessfully.
As of the end of 2013, no aircraft accident has been attributed to the laser pen, but its potential harm still can not be underestimated. Because pilots are most likely to be "flashed" by the laser during take-off and landing on the plane closest to the ground. At this time, even very minor disturbances are dangerous. Pilots were temporarily blind during several laser pen events. In some extreme cases, even pilots were hospitalized for retinal burns.
In the United States, intentional alignment of a laser pointer beam to a plane is a felony, and convicted criminals may be jailed. Since 2005, the FBI has been working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration to track laser pen attacks. To this end, they also provided up to $ 10,000 in bounty to reward anyone who deliberately aimed the beam of a laser pointer at an airplane.