ZM-87
Encyclopedia
The ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber is a Chinese electro-optic countermeasure
Countermeasure
A countermeasure is a measure or action taken to counter or offset another one. As a general concept it implies precision, and is any technological or tactical solution or system designed to prevent an undesirable outcome in the process...

 neodymium laser device. The ZM-87 was primarily intended to blind
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...

 humans but was also reported to damage the photo-electric elements in laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...

 rangefinder
Rangefinder
A rangefinder is a device that measures distance from the observer to a target, for the purposes of surveying, determining focus in photography, or accurately aiming a weapon. Some devices use active methods to measure ; others measure distance using trigonometry...

s and videocameras and missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...

 seeker
Seeker
Seeker may refer to:Religion* Seeker, a member of the 17th century religious group the Seekers, a forerunner of the Quakers*Seeker, a person perceived by Quakers as likely to become an adherent and thus come to be a "convinced Friend"Fictional characters...

s. Roughly twenty-two of the devices were produced by the company Norinco
Norinco
The China North Industries Corporation , official English name Norinco, manufactures vehicles , machinery, optical-electronic products, oil field equipment, chemicals, light industrial products, explosives and blast materials, civil and military firearms and ammunition, etc...

 before production ceased in 2000 as a result of the 1995 United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

 Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons
Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons
The Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons, Protocol IV of the 1980 Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, was issued by the United Nations on 13 October 1995...

 ban.

The ZM-87 is notable as one of only a few laser weapons ever produced. Controversy has also surrounded the possible recent use of the weapon by Russian, Chinese, and North Korean armed forces.

Data

  • Power output: 15 mW, 5 pulses per second, at two wavelengths.
  • Maximum range (blinding): 2 to 3 km (1.2 to 1.9 ) (5 km (3.1 mi) if a 7x magnifying optic is used)
  • Maximum range (temporary blinding): 10 km (6.2 mi)
  • Weight (without battery): 35 kilograms (77.2 lb)

A battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...

 supplies a portable electric energy converter which through a cable feeds a beam emitter 84 centimetres (33.1 in) long mounted on a tripod
Tripod
A tripod is a portable three-legged frame, used as a platform for supporting the weight and maintaining the stability of some other object. The word comes from the Greek tripous, meaning "three feet". A tripod provides stability against downward forces, horizontal forces and moments about the...

. It has a gunsight. It resembles a heavy machine gun
Heavy machine gun
The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...

.

History

Development of the ZM-87 began in the late 1980s. The device was first publicly revealed at a defense exhibition in the Philippines in May of 1995 and soon after in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...

, where the weapon gained publicity. In October of 1995, during the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons
The United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons , concluded at Geneva on October 10, 1980 and entered into force in December 1983, seeks to prohibit or restrict the use of certain conventional weapons which are considered excessively injurious or whose effects are indiscriminate.The...

, Protocol IV, banning blinding laser weapons, was passed, making the ZM-87 illegal. In April 1997 a United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Naval officer sustained a retinal injury consistent with exposure to this sort of laser fired from the Russian
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 freighter Kapitan Man
Kapitan Man
The Kapitan Man is a former Soviet-era multi-purpose merchant ship . Part of a series of ships, she was designed to navigate the Arctic waters and is fitted with an ice-breaking bow. The ship is currently registered and operating under the Russian flag...

. This became known as the Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident
Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident
The Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident occurred on 4 April 1997, when the Russian merchant ship Kapitan Man was anchored in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, approximately due north of Port Angeles, Washington...

. By December 2000, known production of ZM-87 has ceased. However, in 2003 North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...

 is reported to have used the ZM-87 to illuminate two United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 Apache helicopters.

External links

  • http://writingcompany.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/zm87_photo.jpg An image of the ZM-87 (300*232 pixels)
  • http://www.softwar.net/redlite.html
The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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