THE GROWING ROLE OF LASER THREATS IN MODERN CONFLICT

Lasers have become ubiquitous in security and defence applications worldwide. Initially developed as precision tools for targeting, range finding, and reconnaissance, their proliferation now extends to adversarial tactics such as counter-surveillance, drone guidance, and hybrid warfare.

As their use expands, so too does the risk they pose. Security forces, critical infrastructure, and even national sovereignty remain vulnerable without the ability to detect, understand, and counter laser-based threats.

From the battlefields of Ukraine to border conflicts and domestic security challenges, lasers are playing an increasingly destabilising role. Advancements in power, affordability, and wavelength diversity have made them more accessible and more dangerous. Understanding these risks—and how to defend against them has never been more critical.

This article explores the evolving laser threat landscape, the role of laser intelligence (LasINT) in protecting security forces and national infrastructure, and the growing need for effective countermeasures.

THE YANTAR IN BRITISH WATERS (PHOTO: ROYAL NAVY)

CIVIL AND NATIONAL SECURITY RISKS

Recent years have seen lasers emerge as a serious threat to both civil life and national security. They are now used for targeting, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and even assassination attempts.

Civil aviation and law enforcement agencies have reported a sharp increase in laser attacks on aircraft, particularly helicopters operating over urban areas. Pilots taking off or landing at airports and airbases face the risk of permanent retinal damage from high-powered handheld lasers. In these moments, crews must decide whether to abort a mission or risk losing their ability to fly altogether.

Border security forces are also encountering new laser-based challenges. During periods of geopolitical tension, adversaries have used handheld lasers to dazzle border patrol officers, reducing operational effectiveness and causing physical harm. The widespread availability of high-powered lasers has allowed non-state actors and criminal organisations to exploit this technology with ease.

Protests and civil unrest have similarly seen lasers used to disrupt surveillance cameras, blind security forces, and interfere with law enforcement operations.

PRECISION TARGETING AND ASSASINATION RISK

Laser range finders are now embedded across a growing number of targeting systems, providing precise distance measurements to enable accurate engagements. These systems have also been used by would-be assassins to identify and track targets.

One of the most prominent recent examples was the attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a rally in July 2024, where counter-sniper teams recovered a laser range finder. This incident highlighted how commercially available laser tools can play a role in real-world threats to high-profile individuals.

RUSSIAN PAP-V SNIPER FINDER

INVISIBLE LASERS AND COUNTER SURVEILANCE

Not all laser systems are designed to cause direct harm. Invisible laser systems such as sniper finders, range finders, and designators are often used to locate hidden personnel, gather intelligence, and build situational awareness.

Because many of these lasers operate outside the visible spectrum, users are unaware they are being targeted. This makes detection significantly more challenging.

When security forces use magnified optics rifle scopes, night vision goggles, thermal cameras, vehicle periscopes, or binoculars laser light can retro-reflect directly back to its source. This reflection can reveal the position of even the most covert operators, from snipers and patrol units to border guards and surveillance teams.

LASERS AS TOOLS FOR ESPIONAGE

Lasers have also become powerful instruments of espionage. Laser microphones can be used to eavesdrop on conversations from a considerable distance, posing a serious threat to government, military, and corporate security.

These systems detect microscopic vibrations caused by sound waves striking resonant surfaces such as windows. A laser captures these vibrations and converts them into audio signals, allowing adversaries to listen to sensitive discussions without entering the building.

For security and counter-terrorism teams, this capability cuts both ways. While it allows covert intelligence gathering, it also means that confidential conversations may be compromised unless laser-based surveillance is detected. Just as rooms are swept for physical listening devices, spaces must now be examined for laser microphones.

Governments, corporations, and security agencies must recognise this threat and deploy laser detection technologies to identify and neutralise these systems before sensitive information is compromised.

LASER DESIGNATORS, DRONES AND MODERN WARFARE

Laser designators enable military strikes with devastating precision. By illuminating a target, they allow munitions or artillery to home in accurately, reducing collateral damage while ensuring first-time hits.

Lasers have also been used in asymmetric and destabilisation tactics. During tensions between Belarus and Poland, Polish border guards were reportedly targeted with handheld lasers designed to dazzle and cause eye damage as they controlled migrant flows at the border.

Drones further amplify the laser threat. Drone-mounted laser designators can guide attacks, while other onboard lasers are used for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

In the Russia-Ukraine war, laser-guided artillery often driven by drone surveillance has allowed forces to strike targets with exceptional accuracy from several kilometres behind the front line. More concerning still is the emergence of laser-guided suicide drones, which offer long-range, unjammable, and highly accurate targeting.

At the same time, the proliferation of drone swarms has driven the development of defensive laser systems, such as the UK’s DragonFire, capable of disabling drones mid-flight by melting critical components.

THE DETECTION CHALLENGE

Despite the growing threat, a major challenge remains: many hostile lasers operate at non-visible wavelengths. Without advanced detection systems, security forces often have no awareness that they are being targeted.

Knowing which laser is in use and why can be the difference between life and death. This has created an urgent requirement for detection systems capable of identifying lasers across a broad spectrum and in real time. Detection is not just about protection. It is also about intelligence.

LASERD MAX (IMAGE: SENTINEL PHOTONICS)

LASER INTELLIGENCE (LASINT)

Laser intelligence, or LasINT, is intelligence derived from the detection and analysis of laser activity. By identifying laser events within a given environment, security forces can build a more accurate and actionable intelligence picture.

Advanced detection systems provide immediate alerts and detailed information about the type, wavelength, and behaviour of detected lasers. This enables enhanced situational awareness, better decision-making, effective countermeasures, and, in some cases, the ability to turn adversaries’ signals back against them.

LasINT allows security forces to understand who is deploying laser-based tactics, how those tactics are evolving, and what countermeasures are required. Once a laser source is identified, information can be rapidly passed to ground teams, enabling swift action to neutralise or avoid the threat.

In modern operations, the speed at which laser data can be collected, analysed, and disseminated is itself a critical countermeasure.

STAYING AHEAD OF THE THREAT

Integrating LasINT into broader security and military intelligence frameworks will be essential to addressing the challenges posed by laser-based threats. Governments and security forces must invest in cutting-edge laser detection technologies to stay ahead of adversaries who are increasingly weaponising this capability.

As laser technology continues to evolve, so must the strategies and tools used to counter it. Those who fail to detect the undetectable will remain vulnerable.

In today’s complex threat environment, staying ahead of laser technology is not optional it is essential to protecting defence personnel, law enforcement, critical infrastructure, and civil society.

The widespread availability of high-powered lasers, combined with their growing use in military and civilian disruption tactics, underscores the urgent need for advanced laser detection systems, such as those developed by Sentinel Photonics. Whether securing borders, protecting infrastructure, or safeguarding personnel, the ability to detect and respond to laser threats is now a fundamental requirement for modern security operations.