Navy Laser Creates Plasma ‘UFOs’

Article by David Hambling                          May 11, 2020                        (forbes.com)

• In the 1990s, ‘Laser-Induced Plasma Filaments’ (LIPF) were first developed using intense, short, self-focusing laser pulse to create a glowing filament or channel of plasma, which can be projected a distance of hundreds of meters. This technology underlies the Navy project, which uses LIPFs to create phantom images with infrared emissions to fool heat-seeking missiles.

• The effect is described in a 2018 US Navy patent (see here) “wherein a laser source is mounted on the back of the air vehicle, and wherein the laser source is configured to create a laser-induced plasma, and wherein the laser-induced plasma acts as a decoy for an incoming threat to the air vehicle.” The patent explains that the laser creates a series of mid-air plasma columns, which form a 2D or 3D image by a process of “raster scanning”, similar to how the old-style cathode ray TV sets displayed a picture.

• The LIPF decoy can be created instantly at any desired distance from the aircraft, and can be moved around at will, providing protection for as long as needed. According to the patent: “There can be multiple laser systems mounted on the back of the air vehicle with each laser system generating a ‘ghost image’ such that there would appear to be multiple air vehicles present.”

• “The potential applications of this LIP flare/decoy can be expanded, such as using a helicopter deploying flares to protect a battleship, or using this method to cover and protect a whole battle-group of ships, a military base or an entire city,” according to the patent. The patent’s lead researcher, Alexandru Hening, wrote in the Navy’s IT Magazine that he has been working on laser-induced plasma at Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific since 2012.

• In the early 1990s, in response to the American ‘Star Wars’ initiative, the Russians claimed that they could produce glowing ‘plasmoids’ at high altitude using high-power microwave or laser beams to disrupt the flight of ballistic missiles. While nothing came of the project, Russia may have refined the technology over the decades.

• In 2011, a Japanese company demonstrated a rudimentary system that created moving 3D images in mid-air with a series of rapidly-generated plasma dots. (see video below).

• Until now, jet aircraft had to eject ‘decoy flares’ to lure a heat-seeking missile away from targeted craft for only a few seconds. The Laser Induced Plasma Effects ionize an intense laser pulse to produce a burst of glowing plasma. These plasma bursts act as ‘flash-bang’ stun grenades to disrupt a heat-seeking missiles. A rapid series of such pluses can even be modulated to transmit a spoken message. (see video below) Because LIPFs conduct electricity, they have been investigated as a means of triggering lightning to create a ‘lightning gun’.

• Technology will no doubt evolve to allow heat-seeking missiles to distinguish the plasma ghosts from real jets, leading to further refinement of the decoy technology, and so on. Still, this laser-plasma research offers a game-changing method of providing aircraft and even larger targets protection from heat-seeking missiles. It may also provide a clue about the source of some recent UFO sightings by military aircraft.

• [Editor’s Note]   These laser-induced plasma filament decoy shield can be expanded to protect a battleship, battle group, military base or entire city, according to its patent. I am reminded of the Tesla Shield patents that Dr Michael Salla wrote about in August 2019: “US Navy Regards Electromagnetic Propulsion & Tesla Shield Patents as Operable”, and “Are US Aircraft Carriers secretly protected by Electromagnetic “Tesla” Shields?”

I reached out to Dr Salla to see what he thought about the LIPF decoy shield. “This is a very interesting defense concept,” said Dr Salla. “Extension of current defense technology to throw off heat seeking missiles. Very different concept to the High Energy Electromagnetic Field Generator I discussed in the aircraft carrier refit article which effectively creates a Tesla shield. Possible that this is one of the new defense technologies used for the classified upgrades happening at naval dockyards. Don’t believe it’s related to the UFO videos released by the Navy.”

The U.S. Navy has patented technology to create mid-air images to fool infrared and other sensors. This builds on many years of laser-plasma research and offers a game-changing method of protecting aircraft from heat-seeking missiles. It may also provide a clue about the source of some recent UFO sightings by military aircraft.

The U.S. developed the first Sidewinder heat-seeking missile back in the 1950’s, and the latest AIM-9X version is still in frontline service around the world. This type of sensor works so well because hot jet engines exhausts shine out like beacons in the infrared, making them easy targets. Pilots under attack can eject decoy flares to lure a missile away from the launch aircraft, but these only provide a few seconds protection. More recently laser infrared countermeasures have been fielded which dazzle the infrared seeker.

A sufficiently intense laser pulse can ionize producing a burst of glowing plasma. The Laser Induced Plasma Effects program uses single plasma bursts as flash-bang stun grenades; a rapid series of such pluses can even be modulated to transmit a spoken message (video here). In 2011 Japanese company Burton Inc demonstrated a rudimentary system that created moving 3D images in mid-air with a series of rapidly-generated plasma dots (video here).

A more sophisticated approach uses an intense, ultra-short, self-focusing laser pulse to create a glowing filament or channel of plasma, an effect discovered in the 1990s. Known as laser-induced plasma filaments (LIPF) these can be created at some distance from the laser for tens or hundreds of meters. Because LIPFs conduct electricity, they have been investigated as a means of triggering lightning or creating a lightning gun.

One of the interesting things about LIPFs is that with suitable tuning they can emit light of any wavelength: visible, infrared, ultraviolet or even terahertz waves. This technology underlies the Navy project, which uses LIPFs to create phantom images with infrared emissions to fool heat-seeking missiles.

1:34 minutes video ‘Talking lasers and endless flashbangs: Pentagon develops plasma tech’ (‘Military Times’ YouTube)

1:53 minute video ‘True 3D Display in the Mid-Air Using Laser Plasma Technology’ (‘Deepak Gupta’ YouTube)

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