An Introduction To Laser Sights
There are numerous scientific, military, medical and commercial laser applications which have been created since the invention of the laser in 1958. It has a number of properties that make it greatly applicable in numerous industries these include its coherency, high monochromaticity, and ability to reach extremely high powers.
Military uses of lasers include target designation and ranging, defensive countermeasures, communications and directed energy weapons. Directed energy weapons like Boeing’s Airborne Laser which can be constructed inside a 747 jet can actually burn the skin off enemy missiles.
Northrop Grumman declare that its engineers in Redondo Beach had successfully built and tested an electric laser able to produce a 100-kilowatt ray of light, powerful enough to annihilate cruise missiles, artillery, rockets and mortar rounds. An electric laser is in theory can be mounted in an aircraft, ship, or vehicle because it has a much smaller space need for its associated equipment than a chemical laser according to Brian Strickland, manager for the United States Army’s Joint High Power Solid State Laser program.
Many firearms applications use the might of the laser as a tool to improve the targeting of other weapon systems. For example, a laser sight is a tiny normally visible-light laser erected on a handgun or a rifle and aligned to send out a beam that runs parallel to the barrel. Essentially the laser sight is visible lasers light that permits the shooter to see where the bullet is directed. It is generally found above the body of the small arm at a specific angle facing down, so that the laser will point directly at the spot where the bullet will enter. However, the laser is not entirely accurate and may be off by a slight amount, yet this is normally inconsequential to the overall ability to guarantee a near perfect hit.
The laser beam has low divergence meaning the laser light will appear as a small spot even at extended distances. The user will place the spot on the exact target and the barrel of the gun is aligned to shoot that target. However, the laser cannot account for bullet drop, windage and target movement while the bullet travels.
Most laser sights come equipped with a red laser diode. Others sometimes use an infrared diode to create a dot that is invisible to the naked human eye but discernible with night vision devices. The firearms adaptive target acquisition module LLM01 laser light module incorporates visible and infrared laser diodes. Later in the 1990s, green diode pumped solid state laser (DPSS) laser sights (532 nm) were put on the market. Present day laser sights are tiny and light enough for attachment to the firearms.
In 2007, LaserMax, a company that specializes in manufacturing lasers for military and police firearms, implemented the first mass-production green laser available for use in smaller arms. This laser is mounted on the underside of a handgun or long arm on the accessory rail. The green laser is actually agreed to be more visible than the red laser under bright lighting conditions because at the same wattage green light appears brighter than red light.