The US Air Force is pushing back against Chinese aggression ... with mirrorshades

The recent announcement by the USAir Force that it will equip its aircrews with 42,000 sets of anti-laser glasses comes in the wake of a worrying increase in laser attacks against American aviators and others by Chinese military forces.

Documented instances of Chinese aggression underscore the urgency of the not-so-insignificant purchase, as recently declassified documents reveal approximately 180 dangerous encounters with Chinese military aircraft over the South and East China Seas in the last two years. These incidents, many involving the use of high-spec military-grade lasers rather than the laser pointers we’re all familiar with, are putting the vision and sometimes the lives of American personnel at risk but not only that – they put the stability of the region at risk.

The danger of these attacks lies primarily in their ability to cause flash blindness, a usually temporary loss of vision that occurs when the intense light from a laser floods the retina. Such attacks can be particularly hazardous during critical flight phases like take-off and landing, where pilot visibility is essential. Beyond the immediate danger of disorientation there is the risk of permanent eye damage as exposure to high-intensity lasers can lead to retinal burns, posing a severe threat to the vision and career of pilots and, by extension, the safety of the aircraft and its occupants.

Furthermore, the operational disruption caused by these laser attacks – including distraction, temporary incapacitation, and confusion in the cockpit – can lead to severe accidents. Beyond the physical, there is also a psychological dimension to consider; repeated exposure to such threats can exacerbate stress and anxiety among aircrew, potentially impairing their effectiveness.

One relatively well-known example of this kind of attack occurred in 2020 when a Chinese Navy ship targeted a US surveillance aircraft with a laser near the Philippine Sea.

Before that, I had never even heard of the United Postal Union. Totally clueless, but like many people, wondered at the disparity (which back in 2020, was completely opposite of what it is now, thanks to President Trump’s insistence on this.

I believe he saw how important it was, how we were simply taking in the behind because nobody was paying attention to it.

What made me look at this was when I had some Chinese equipment, probably about $75 worth, and they agreed to refund me. However, they told me just to keep the underperforming gear even though they were giving me my money back.

That struck me as odd. Few American companies do that, I cannot think of even one. So I wondered “Gee. It must cost too much to ship it back. Sure enough, when I looked it up in 2020, it would have cost me $1064.29 to ship that box back to China, but it cost them only $154.37 to send it to ME. (that happened to be a high priority shipping method, but even with the lower priority one of “International Economy” there was still that crazy disparity in shipping costs.!)

That seemed absolutely insane. I thought there was no way that was correct. That is when I started digging, and found out that not only WAS it correct, I found out WHY it was correct, and also that the Trump Administration thought it was important enough to play hardball with Communist China.

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