Using science to combat the laser threat

In cooperation with an industrial partner, the Faculty of Sciences and the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology of the University of Pécs (PTE) are developing a special device to detect attackers who use lasers to distract airplane pilots. 

It is now widely available to buy laser pointers and pointer sticks, which can be dangerous in the wrong hands. The types of devices range from low-power devices used in everyday life to high-power lasers used in healthcare and in industrial applications. In Hungary, they are classified into several classes according to an official standard.

"We are used to the kind of pointers that instructors use in class, but

there are also types that can burn down a wall or light a match from 10 metres away.

These devices have incredible energy and can hit an aircraft up to 18 kilometres away." - says Dr. Ervin Pirkhoffer, associate professor at the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences at PTE. In recent years, there has been an unfortunate increase in the number of cases of private individuals using these devices to disrupt unwanted air traffic by shining a light in the eyes of pilots.

Around 60 000 such cases are recorded worldwide every year.

"This is particularly dangerous when there is only one pilot on board who loses his or her sight for a few minutes, but it also happens when someone's eyes are permanently damaged or they can't land the plane. But consider the case when this happens not at an airport the size of Pécs-Pogany, but in San Francisco, where planes are taking off and landing every minute. There, if a pilot loses control of the plane, he could crash into another flight," says Ervin Pirkhoffer.

The use of lasers in this way constitutes an offence, as it constitutes a disturbance of air traffic and is therefore punishable. A few years ago, for example, a young Hungarian man was charged with using his hunting light to disturb helicopter pilots flying over the Hungarian-Ukrainian border. 
"In collaboration with an industrial partner, Fly-coop Ltd, we are developing a device designed to detect the exact location of these 'shots', with an accuracy of 5 metres. In this way, it can help the authorities to identify and apprehend the perpetrator," explains the university lecturer.

With enough data, a global database could be created, zones could be defined, and pilots could know in advance where to expect interference. Part of the current research and development work is being carried out by the Faculty of Science, while the other part, which involves real aircraft experiments, is being carried out by Fly-coop Ltd. The latter involves placing the detection device on different parts of the aircraft in search of the most optimal location. If it could be placed in the cockpit, for example, it would be less resistant to external influences.
"At first glance, it doesn't seem that complicated to determine the location of the shot, but just think about the fact that

an aeroplane is landing at 270 km/h, so it can travel an incredible amount of distance per second.

One moment it's here, the next it's there, while someone - stable, not moving, maybe using a tripod - is aiming a laser at it. At the same time, that's why we can determine its position in space and the height from which it was fired in just a few seconds," says Ervin Pirkhoffer.
From the university's side, the project involves lecturers, PhD students and teaching assistants from the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, and a mathematician from the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology. The project is planned to last for two years, i.e. 2026 at the earliest, so that we will be able to study these tools in more detail after patenting. 

The project is funded by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office with a total of HUF 597 million.