[Cboldt]

That 14 mW/cm2 is for a HeNe (red light) laser, and at that power level, a .25 second exposure typically causes a blink, and causes no damage. Staring at a Class 2 HeNe will cause permanent damage to a human eye, but one has to "try" by staring at the beam. Staring at the sun has a similar effect.

However, what is happening here may or may not be "damage," being temporarily blinded is enough to affect a pilot's ability to navigate a landing.

Lots of ways to "skin the cat" as it were. A beam with 1 square meter cross section is HUGE! An alternate is to sweep a smaller beam, settling for shorter time but higher intensity of exposure.

No doubt, more than a few people have done all the figuring on this. We know it is possible to at least irritate pilots using common laser pointers.

[Dan Evans]

No doubt, more than a few people have done all the figuring on this. We know it is possible to at least irritate pilots using common laser pointers.

This is such a grisly thing that I would hope it would be like nerve gas -- no one wants to use it because they don't want it used against them.

But terrorists don't think like that.