Laser Designators are optoelectronic targeting devices.
Overview[]
Laser designators, alternately known as laser markers or target locators, function as both handheld and vehicle-mounted targeting devices.
Unlike rangefinders which are designed purely for calculating distance, designators are intended to "paint" targets either for laser-guided vehicle/aircraft munitions. They do this by projecting a laser spot at the pointed location which can then be locked onto by the ordnance's seeker.
So long as the aircraft or vehicle has a laser scanner or laser spot tracker (LST) equipped and the laser spot remains active for the entire duration, the munition will automatically home in onto the spot's position by itself. If the designator is suddenly switched off before impact for whatever reason, the ordnance will lose track of the target and veer off in a linear direction.
Laser-guided ordnance must be dropped at a sufficient height in order for them to gain enough time to correct their altitude and heading. Some munitions like the the GBU SDB or MARUK anti-tank missiles in ArmA 3 however, are capable of autonomously adjusting their own trajectories regardless of height, though ample clearance should still be given before launch to minimise the chances of accidental collisions.
Marking targets in this way also bears a risk for the spotter, as they must remain completely stationary for the entire duration. The laser spot can also be seen clearly on infrared cameras/optics, which will alert enemies who are observant enough to realise that they are being marked.
One other restriction that should also be noted is that laser spots cannot be locked onto if they are being projected by designators from different "sides". A BLUFOR laser spot cannot be locked onto by munitions carried by REDFOR aircraft, though it will be possible to do so if the REDFOR aircraft in question is being flown by a BLUFOR pilot (as they belong to the same "side" even if the aircraft itself does not).
ArmA: Cold War Assault[]
In ArmA: Cold War Assault, laser designators are exclusively used by U.S. black ops.
It is wielded as a shoulder-carried "weapon" and requires the user to crouch when utilising it, though they can still move if needed to readjust their aim.[CWACfgW 1] The laser designator requires a battery in order to operate; this battery occupies up six primary weapon magazine slots.[CWACfgW 2] If the laser designator does not have its battery fitted by default, it will take at least 12 seconds to reinsert the battery into the designator.[CWACfgW 3] The designator has a minimum magnification of 1x zoom[CWACfgW 4][Formula 1] up to a maximum of 5x zoom.[CWACfgW 5][Formula 2]
The U.S. A-10 carries GBU-24 laser-guided bombs which require a laser spot to lock onto.[CWACfgA 1] TOW/Hellfire missiles used by AH-1/AH-64 gunships are also capable of locking onto laser spots as an optional form of guidance.[CWACfgA 2][CWACfgA 3]
Besides the handheld designator, the OH-58 scout helicopter is also capable of laser marking targets. It is slaved to the camera pod, which can be controlled directly by the co-pilot.[CWACfgV 1]
ArmA: Armed Assault[]
« | The AN/PEQ-1 SOF Laser Marker (SOFLAM) is a laser rangefinding and designating system. It provides the operator with the ability to designate critical enemy targets for attack with laser guided weapons. The system is lighter, smaller and more reliable than older laser designators. The SOFLAM is in use in all US Special Operations units. Library Description
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In ArmA: Armed Assault, laser designators are referred to as the Laser Marker and are exclusively used by U.S. Army special operations (specifically recon operatives).
It is no longer equipped as a shoulder-carried "weapon" and occupies the same inventory slot used for night vision goggles.[A1CfgW 1] While the laser designator is readied, the user will not be able to move and will remain stationary until they holster the designator. The inability to move applies even if the user is crouching or is in a prone stance.
The user must still insert a battery into the designator as it is otherwise not possible to activate the marker and project a laser spot without one inserted.[A1CfgW 2] Batteries take up one primary weapon magazine inventory slot.[A1CfgM 1] The designator has a fixed magnification of 2.94x zoom.[A1CfgW 3][A1CfgW 4][Formula 3]
Aircraft ordnance that can lock onto the laser designator's spot include the AV-8B Harrier's GBU-12 LGBs[A1CfgA 1] and AGM-114 Hellfire ATGMs carried by the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter.[A1CfgA 2]
It should also be noted that the laser spot emitted by the designator is visible in daylight. It is coloured in grey at close distances but will be visible as a red dot when pointed at long distance targets.[A1CfgA 3] Visual identification by the enemy is still possible but will be difficult unless they have NVGs equipped.
ArmA 2[]
« | A laser designator is a laser light source which is used to illuminate a target. Laser designators provide targeting information for laser guided bombs, missiles, or precision artillery munitions. They can be mounted on aircraft, ground vehicles, or in handheld devices and use special frequencies to prevent confusion with other laser markers. Armoury Description
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In ArmA 2, the laser designator remains exclusive to BLUFOR factions. It is carried by both regular and special operations units alongside certain sniper/spotter teams.
Unlike in Armed Assault, designators now have integrated rangefinders which will actively display the distance of a target in real-time. They are also able to toggle thermal vision modes, which can assist in painting targets under poor visibility conditions or at nighttime. Furthermore, laser designators no longer prevent the user from being able to wear a set of night vision goggles, allowing them to have both equipped simultaneously.[A2CfgW 1][A2CfgW 2] Lastly, it is possible to move slowly (not run/sprint) while the user has their laser designator unholstered.
A greater variety of laser-guided ordnance is now capable of locking onto laser marker spots. Such aircraft include the A-10/F-35 with their GBU-12 LGBs[A2CfgA 1], or guided artillery shells fired by the M119 105 mm howitzer.[A2CfgA 2] Several vehicular platforms are now outfitted with laser markers and can serve in a forward air control role; the USMC's UH-1Y helicopter being one such prime example.[A2CfgV 1]
It should be noted that just like in Armed Assault, laser spots emitted by designators are visible in daylight.[A2CfgA 3] However, extra care needs to be taken with ArmA 2's designators as the spots are much larger in comparison and will be identifiable by the enemy even without the aid of NVGs.
Laser Marker[]
The Laser Marker, alternately the AN/PEQ-1 SOFLAM, is used by U.S. Marine Force Recon and U.S. Army 1st SFOD-D forward air controllers (FAC), as well as by British Army joint terminal attack controllers (JTAC).
The Laser Marker's reticle is coloured in dark grey and is not illuminated. It is able to switch between normal day, night and black-/white-hot thermal vision modes.[A2CfgW 3][A2CfgW 4] It has a fixed magnification of 10x zoom.[A2CfgW 5][A2CfgW 6][Formula 4] The Laser Marker requires a battery in order to operate.[A2CfgW 7] This battery occupies at least one primary weapon magazine slot.[A2CfgM 1]
Aside from enhanced vision modes, the Laser Marker features a continuous laser rangefinder that actively measures and displays the exact distance of whatever the centre of the reticle is pointing at. Only the rangefinder's distance values are displayed in green.[A2CfgW 8]
Target Locator[]
The Target Locator, alternately the LRTV, is used exclusively by Czech 601st SFG recon operatives. It was added with the release of the Army of the Czech Republic DLC.
Like the Laser Marker, the Target Locator features a non-illuminated black reticle, has a continuous laser rangefinder[A2CfgW 9], and can switch between normal day, night, and black-/white-hot thermal vision modes.[A2CfgW 10][A2CfgW 11] It utilises the same battery shared with regular Laser Designators.[A2CfgW 12]
The main differences with the Target Locator are that it displays grid coordinates and the currently active vision mode in the bottom-left hand corner and also features a compass at the top of the reticle.[A2CfgW 9] As with the Laser Marker, values for both the grid coordinates and compass display are coloured in green. Additionally, the Target Location can switch between two magnification settings instead of a fixed zoom (minimum of 3.16x zoom, maximum zoom of 9.61x).[A2CfgW 13][Formula 5][Formula 6]
ArmA 3[]
« | Laser designator is used for aiming guided missiles, bombs and artillery. Once marked, do not move or switch the laser beam off or the missiles will be unable to correct their trajectory and might miss the target. Field Manual
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In ArmA 3, Laser Designators are mostly identical to their predecessors in ArmA 2 and still require batteries to operate[A3CfgW 1][A3CfgW 2], though the rangefinders now display azimuth and elevation relative to the spotter's position.
However, they are no longer exclusive to BLUFOR factions and are also used by factions on REDFOR and INDFOR. Static laser designators can also be assembled in the field which can paint targets remotely when commanded to do so by their operator using a UAV Terminal. Furthermore, laser spots are no longer visible to the naked eye and can only be identified if the enemy has access to a pair of night vision goggles or infrared optics.[A3CfgA 1] Lastly, it is possible to not only run, but also sprint whilst the user has their designator equipped.
Aircraft ordnance are no longer the only munition types that can track via laser. Some ground-launched munitions like the Rhino MGS tank destroyer's MARUK ATGMs are designed exclusively to lock onto laser spots.[A3CfgA 2] Several rotary-wing aircraft and almost every fixed-wing jet (like the A-149 Gryphon or To-201 Shikra) also possess some form of integrated/externally-fitted targeting pods, which are remote-controlled by the pilot and can be used to manually lase targets for their own munitions or other friendly forces.[A3CfgV 1][A3CfgV 2]
However, they must possess a Laser Spot Tracker sensor module in order to be able to lock onto them. Likewise, it will not be possible to maintain lock onto a laser spot unless it remains within the sensor's cone. Exceptions to this are ground vehicles, with the 2S9 Sochor and M4 Scorcher self-propelled howitzers whose laser-guided shells will automatically lock onto the laser spot once they arrive close to the impact point (the shells have their own built-in laser scanners).[A3CfgA 3][A3CfgA 4]
Vehicles with Data Link capability are also able to share the location of projected laser spots to other compatible platforms. A good example of this in practice are the weapon systems on the Liberty-class destroyer. Through Data Link, targets can be relayed back to the destroyer's MK41 VLS battery[A3CfgV 3], which can then launch Venator surface-to-surface cruise missiles at the target location without needing line-of-sight of the laser spot.[A3CfgA 5]
NATO[]
The NATO version of the Laser Designator is carried by NATO special operations units, CTRG black ops, Russian Spetsnaz recon JTACs, and AAF spotters.
It is available in three colour schemes: Sand, Olive, and Khaki. It can switch between normal day, night and green-hot thermal vision modes.[A3CfgW 6][A3CfgW 7] Only the reticle's crosshairs are illuminated; all other reticle markings are coloured in black instead (readings are displayed in red, however). The NATO designator has a minimum magnification of 5x zoom[A3CfgW 8][Formula 7] and a maximum of 25x zoom.[A3CfgW 9][Formula 8] The NATO designator's battery has a weight of 6 "mass" units.[A3CfgM 1]
In addition to its integral laser rangefinder, the NATO designator provides a few other readings in the form of azimuth (depending on the user's current facing), elevation (based on the target relative to the user's position), the currently toggled vision mode and lastly, the current level of magnification.[A3CfgW 10]
CSAT[]
The CSAT version of the Laser Designator is carried by CSAT special operations units, Viper black ops, and Russian Spetsnaz JTACs.
It is only available in two camouflage schemes: Hex and Green Hex. The CSAT designator can switch between normal day, night and green-hot thermal vision modes.[A3CfgW 13][A3CfgW 14] Only the reticle's crosshair is illuminated. The rest of the reticle is coloured in black. The CSAT designator has a minimum magnification of 5x zoom[A3CfgW 15][Formula 9] and a maximum of 20x zoom.[A3CfgW 16][Formula 10] It shares the same battery used by NATO designators (that has a weight of 6 "mass" units).[A3CfgM 1]
Like the NATO variant, the CSAT designator provides the same readings to the user and will display azimuth values (based on the user's current heading), elevation (target's elevation relative to the user), the currently active vision mode, and the level of zoom. All values are displayed with a red-coloured font.[A3CfgW 17]
ARMA Reforger[]
ARMA Reforger does not feature handheld or vehicle-based laser designators/markers.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The laser designator in both Armed Assault and ArmA 2 is based directly on the "AN/PEQ-1 Special Operations Forces Laser Acquisition Marker" (SOFLAM).[1]
- In ArmA 3, NATO laser designators are based on the LRTV rangefinder from ArmA 2's Army of the Czech Republic DLC[2], while the CSAT/Spetsnaz designator is modelled after the U.S. military's "Mark VIIE Laser Target Locator" (LTL)[3].
- Prior to the Marksmen DLC's release, all sides shared the same pale blue/grey-coloured laser designator. This was eventually changed so that the main factions used their own unique designators instead.[4]
- Laser designators were not originally available in Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis (Cold War Assault's original title prior to its re-release) and were only added into the game after Patch 1.30's release.[5][6]
- At launch, Armed Assault's laser designator was incorrectly held as if it were a primary weapon. Patch 1.05 corrected this glitch and gave it the same hand animations that humans would use when wielding binoculars.[7]
- Before the release of the Operation Arrowhead expansion pack, the ArmA 2 laser designator was unable to activate thermal vision and was limited to just day/night vision modes only.
- Despite being marked as Marksmen DLC assets, neither the NATO nor CSAT laser designators actually require ownership of the DLC to use[8] (they were bundled together with the DLC's platform update[4]).
- CSAT Laser Designators in ArmA 3 originally had a different minimum magnification setting. This was changed to its current 1x zoom after Game Update 1.48.[9]
- Thus far, Cold War Assault remains as the only main title in the series to feature laser designators as shoulder-carried equipment as opposed to being a handheld device like in all subsequent games.
- The information below details unused, pre-release or removed content.
- Leftover text strings in Cold War Assault suggest that both the AH-1 Cobra and AH-64 helicopters were not intended to have laser spot trackers equipped by default (String names: STR_DN_COBRA_LASER[10], STR_DN_APACHE_LASER[11]). In the final version of the game, both helicopters possess integrated LSTs instead of being separate sub-variants.
- The original, bluish-textured laser designator in ArmA 3 is no longer available to any of the factions. However, its texture[12] and model[13] still remains within the game files and can be restored through the use of a custom addon.
Config/script references[]
CfgAmmo (ArmA: Cold War Assault)CfgWeapons (ArmA: Cold War Assault)CfgVehicles (ArmA: Cold War Assault)
CfgAmmo (ArmA: Armed Assault)CfgMagazines (ArmA: Armed Assault)
CfgWeapons (ArmA: Armed Assault)CfgAmmo (ArmA 2)CfgMagazines (ArmA 2)
CfgWeapons (ArmA 2)
CfgVehicles (ArmA 2)
CfgAmmo (ArmA 3)
CfgMagazines (ArmA 3)CfgWeapons (ArmA 3)
CfgVehicles (ArmA 3)
Formulae
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References[]
- ↑ Military.com 2014, PEQ-1 SOFLAM, Military.com, viewed 2 February 2024, <https://www.military.com/equipment/peq-1-soflam>.
- ↑ Institute for Defense and Government Advancement 2011, Vectronix LRTV, 1 November, viewed 2 February 2024, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=KJbr6OE1ffQ>.
- ↑ Military.com 2014, Mark VII Laser Target Locator, Military.com, viewed 2 February 2024, <https://www.military.com/equipment/mark-vii-laser-target-locator>.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 van 't Land, J.J. 2015, SPOTREP #00040, Arma 3, viewed 30 August 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00040>.
- ↑ Mcnicoll, J et al. 2006, Operation Flashpoint: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 30 August 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Operation_Flashpoint:_Version_History#Patch_v1.30>.
- ↑ Bohemia Interactive a.s., The Codemasters Software Company Limited 2001, Operation Flashpoint - Download - 1.30, flashpoint1985.com, viewed 8 June 2024, <http://web.archive.org/web/20020124032633/http://www.flashpoint1985.com/download/patches_30.html>. (archived link)
- ↑ Španěl, M et al. 2007, ArmA: Armed Assault: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 30 August 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Armed_Assault:_Version_History#Version_1.05>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. et al. 2019, Arma 3: DLC Restrictions, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 30 August 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/Arma_3:_DLC_Restrictions>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2015, SPOTREP #00045, Arma 3, viewed 9 September 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00045>.
- ↑ ARMA: Cold War Assault 2011 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \LaserGuided\stringtable.csv, AH-1 (LG)
- ↑ ARMA: Cold War Assault 2011 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \LaserGuided\stringtable.csv, AH-64 (LG)
- ↑ ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\weapons_f\binocular\data\trigr_co.paa
- ↑ ARMA 3 2013 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \a3\weapons_f\binocular\ltlm.p3d
External links[]
See also[]
Equipment | |
---|---|
Non-lethal | Binoculars • Chemical Detector • Chemlight • Compass • Detonator • Entrenching Tool • Flares • Flashlight • Fuel Container • GPS • Infrared Strobe • Landmine Marker • Laser Designator • Mine Detector • Night Vision Goggles • Parachute • Radio • Rangefinder • Repair Tool • Resupply Pack • Smoke Grenade • Spectrum Device • Toolkit • UAV Terminal • Watch |
Lethal | Explosives • Hand Grenades • Landmines • Underbarrel grenade launcher (Cold War Assault, Armed Assault, ArmA 2, ArmA 3, Reforger) |
Medical | Bandage • First Aid Kit • Medikit • Morphine Injector • Saline Solution • Tourniquet |