US warns airmen to beware of laser attacks near China’s military base in Djibouti
Pilots warned of possible attacks after ‘multiple events’, but Chinese observers say the lasers may have been used to counter spy drones
The US military has warned airmen to beware of laser attacks near China’s first overseas military base amid increasing signs of friction between the two armed forces in the Horn of Africa.
The military issued a Notice to Airmen, later reproduced on the US Federal Aviation Administration’s website, that there had been multiple events “involving a high-power laser” just 750 metres (2,400ft) from China’s base in Djibouti.
“Use extreme caution when transiting near this area,” the notice added.
Multiple intelligence sources reported that Chinese garrison in Djibouti is suspected of operating a high-power laser weapon to temporarily blind pilots at the base or on a ship offshore, according to a report in Jane’s Defence Weekly last month.
But Chinese military observers said the lasers might have been used to scare off birds near the airfield or disrupt possible spy drones, rather than targeting foreign pilots.