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The US military is trialling modular helmet-worn technology to protect pilots and aircrew using night vision goggles from laser strikes.
Personnel at Robins Air Force Base in the US have been using laser peripheral vision protection designed to filter a wider range of light wavelengths, according to information from the 78th Air Base Wing.
The technology is being used under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Human Systems Division, based at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, working with operations and support personnel at Robins AFB on the Aircrew Laser Eye Protection Technology Insertion program.
AFLCMC/ROU plans to field more than 45,000 devices to US Air Force units by 2029.
“These strikes can cause serious and, in some cases, permanent eye damage, with health concerns ranging from temporary flash blindness to severe retinal injuries,” according to Master Sergeant Bridgette Brzezinski, 78th Operational Medical Readiness Squadron Bioenvironmental Engineering flight chief.
“Laser exposures can severely disrupt critical phases of flight, such as take-off and landing, and can have significant psychological effects on aircrew even at distances where ocular damage is unlikely.”
Laser strikes on aircraft in the US have increased by almost 48 per cent since 2020, with more than 10,000 incidents alone reported in 2025, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Pointing a laser at an aircraft became a federal crime in 2012 and can result in a penalty of up to five years in prison and a US$250,000 fine in the US.
“The main difference is that the Block 3s filter more wavelengths of light and provide more protection than the Block 2s,” according to Eric Miltner, AFLCMC/ROU operations and support equipment specialist.
“We go to an actual base where people are going to be using this equipment.
“We show them the manual, and we let them walk through the steps without us assisting just to make sure it all makes sense.”
