Editing List of laser applications (section)

==Military==

===[[Laser weapon|Directly as an energy weapon]]===
A '''laser weapon''' is [[directed-energy weapon]] based on [[lasers]].{{summarize|from|Laser weapon|date=December 2022}}
===Defensive countermeasures===
Defensive countermeasure applications can range from compact, low power [[infrared countermeasure]]s to high power, airborne laser systems.  IR countermeasure systems use lasers to confuse the seeker heads on [[infrared homing]] missiles.

===[[Dazzler (weapon)|Disorientation]]===
Some weapons simply use a laser to disorient a person. One such weapon is the [[Thales Group|Thales]] [[Green Laser Optical Warner]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thalesgroup.com/Portfolio/Defence/DLD_Products_GLOW-Green_Light_Optical_Warner/ |title=Thales GLOW |publisher=Thalesgroup.com |access-date=2011-09-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323111318/http://www.thalesgroup.com/Portfolio/Defence/DLD_Products_GLOW-Green_Light_Optical_Warner/ |archive-date=2012-03-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== [[Laser guidance|Guidance]] ===
Laser guidance is a technique of [[missile guidance|guiding a missile]] or other projectile or vehicle to a target by means of a laser beam.

===Target designator===<!-- This section is linked from [[Laser applications]] -->

{{see also|Laser applications}}
{{Main|Laser designator}}
[[Image:DHY 307 laser target designator P1220816.jpg|thumb|A target designator]]
Another military use of lasers is as a ''laser target designator''. This is a low-power [[laser pointer]] used to indicate a target for a [[precision-guided munition]], typically launched from an aircraft. The guided munition adjusts its flight-path to home in to the laser light reflected by the target, enabling a great precision in aiming. The beam of the laser target designator is set to a pulse rate that matches that set on the guided munition to ensure munitions strike their designated targets and do not follow other laser beams which may be in use in the area.  The laser designator can be shone onto the target by an aircraft or nearby infantry. Lasers used for this purpose are usually [[infrared]] lasers, so the enemy cannot easily detect the guiding laser light.

===Firearms===

====[[Laser sight (firearms)|Laser sight]]====
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Nachal Brigade Reconnaissance Battalion in "Commando" Training (2).jpg|182px|thumb|right|Laser sight used by the [[Israel Defense Forces]] during commando training]]
[[Image:S&W .357 Magnum With Laser Sight.jpg|182px|thumb|right|[[Smith & Wesson]] revolver equipped with a laser sight mounted on the [[trigger guard]].]]
The laser has in most firearms applications been used as a tool to enhance the targeting of other weapon systems. For example, a '''laser sight''' is a small, usually visible-light laser placed on a handgun or a rifle and aligned to emit a beam parallel to the barrel. Since a laser beam has low divergence, the laser light appears as a small spot even at long distances; the user places the spot on the desired target and the barrel of the gun is aligned (but not necessarily allowing for [[bullet drop]], [[windage]], distance between the direction of the beam and the axis of the barrel, and the target mobility while the bullet travels).

Most laser sights use a red laser diode. Others use an [[infrared]] diode to produce a dot invisible to the naked human eye but detectable with night vision devices. The firearms adaptive target acquisition module [[LLM01|LLM01 laser light module]] combines visible and infrared laser diodes. In the late 1990s, green [[diode pumped solid state laser]] (DPSS) laser sights (532&nbsp;nm) became available.

====Eye-targeted lasers====
A [[less-lethal]] laser weapon was developed by the U.S. Air Force to temporarily impair an adversary's ability to fire a weapon or to otherwise threaten enemy forces. This unit illuminates an opponent with harmless low-power laser light and can have the effect of dazzling or disorienting the subject or causing them to flee.  Several types of [[dazzler (weapon)|dazzlers]] are now available, and some have been used in combat.

There remains the possibility of using lasers to blind, since this requires relatively low power levels and is easily achievable in a man-portable unit. However, most nations regard the deliberate permanent blinding of the enemy as forbidden by the [[Laws of war|rules of war]] (see [[Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons]]).  Although several nations have developed blinding laser weapons, such as China's [[ZM-87]], none of these are believed to have made it past the prototype stage.

In addition to the applications that cross over with military applications, a widely known law enforcement use of lasers is for [[lidar]] to measure the speed of vehicles.

====[[Holographic weapon sight]]====
A holographic weapon sight uses a laser diode to illuminate a [[hologram]] of a reticle built into a flat glass optical window of the sight. The user looks through the optical window and sees a cross hair [[reticle]] image superimposed at a distance on the [[field of view]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ultimak.com/UnderstandingE-sights.htm|title=Red Dot Sights / Reflex Sights & Holosights Explained|website=ultimak.com|access-date=2013-07-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227115508/http://ultimak.com/UnderstandingE-sights.htm|archive-date=2012-12-27|url-status=live}}</ref>