The US Navy patented a gadget to make laser ‘ghost airplanes’ in mid-air

By David Hambling

Stocktrek Images, Inc/Alamy

At over 600 ° C, a jet engine’s exhaust stands out like a beacon when seen in infrared, making it an obvious target for heat-seeking missiles– but an US Navy device may be able to prevent such missiles with ghost images projected in mid-air.

The standard approach of defence has been to eject hot flares to draw rockets far from the airplane. This new approach uses lasers rather than pyrotechnics.

When focused to a point, a laser can produce a …