Laser strike protection technology for aircraft moving towards commercialisation

Satair Group, a wholly-owned Airbus subsidiary, and Metamaterial Technologies Inc. of Canada are holding a signing ceremony on Tuesday June 20 which will lead to a global, long-term multi-million dollar distribution agreement for MTI's metaAIR laser strike protection product to the civil aviation market. This is the world's only large scale optical filter that can cover an entire windscreen and block and defect laser strikes to protect pilots during critical phases of flight.

A demonstration of the effectiveness of the metaAIR nanofabricated optical filter product, which adheres to the inside of an aircraft cockpit, in deflecting harmful laser beams aimed at aircraft will be shown. Up to 10,000 laser strikes a year have been reported by the major airworthiness authorities – a significant , potentially dangerous and growing problem for flight crews.

The commercialisation of this product follows a three year collaborative effort between Airbus and MTI to evaluate, test and tailor metaAIR for use on its aircraft.