Determination of Laser Attack Risk Zones Under Aircraft Flight Path

Abstract

This paper introduces a method of determination of zones around and beneath an aircraft’s flight path where it is reasonable to believe that a laser attack would be successful, i.e. from where a laser beam pointed towards an aircraft can reach the eye of the pilot and lead to a potential safety risk. The method is based on the determination of lines of sight led from the ideal pilot eye position as recommended by the aircraft’s manufacturer and a simplified model of aircraft windows derived from aircraft technical drawings published by the manufacturer. The paper demonstrates the change of the shape of these zones and the distance between the aircraft and the emitter as a function of the aircraft’s pitch, allowing the zones to be adjusted according to the targeted area to be protected such as the final approach path or the intermediate approach segment. The use of such a method is demonstrated on a sample application of determination of such zones at 2500 ft above terrain, a height representing the transition from the intermediate approach segment to the final approach descent.