Combat helicopter pilots of the Bundeswehr from Fritzlar near Kassel were blinded by a laser. Thanks to a quick response, the perpetrator was caught on site.
- Pilots of Tiger attack helicopters from Fritzlar in the Schwalm-Eder district are blinded by laser
- Bundeswehr caught perpetrators in the act
- Laser attack was not the only one that day
Fritzlar - Tiger pilots from Combat Helicopter Regiment 36 in Fritzlar near Kassel were blinded twice at different locations with laser pointers within 24 hours .
The Bundeswehr responds to this incident with incomprehension and indignation, which tragically is not an isolated case in view of the past.
Bundeswehr pilots from the Kassel region dazzled by lasers
It was only around three months ago that a Bundeswehr pilot was blinded so severely that permanent damage could not be excluded. The perpetrator (s) remained unknown. This is different:
According to police , a 57-year-old man on Thursday to 0:30 several times with a laser pointer blinded helicopters over Mellnau in the district of Marburg-Biedenkopf were traveling.
Bundeswehr pilots blinded by laser: ground troops catch perpetrators
According to the attack helicopter regiment, two Bundeswehr tigers from Fritzlar near Kassel were each in the air with two pilots. "You immediately turned away when you first blinded and kept an eye on the perpetrator via the mast sight," said Lieutenant Colonel Remo Templin-Dahlenburg.
The crew immediately informed two colleagues from their ground force after the laser attack , who then caught the perpetrator and kept an eye on him until the emergency services arrived.
Bundeswehr pilots blinded with laser: the perpetrator even faces imprisonment
As the police reported, the 57-year-old now has to answer for the blinds using a laser in an investigation into the dangerous interference in air traffic.
Depending on the consequences, the dangerous interference in aviation can be imprisoned for between six months and ten years. Templin-Dahlenburg, Lieutenant Colonel in the Bundeswehr , received an unexpected call a little later. "The perpetrator apologized on the phone."
Offenders blinded Bundeswehr pilots with laser “out of stupidity”
He cited his stupidity as the reason for his act and asked to personally report to the pilots. "But they don't want him to call," says Templin-Dahlenburg.
But it did not stop at the only incident: According to the Schwalm-Eder police department , there was another glare from a laser from the Bundeswehr tigers on the same day , this time via Züschen.
"The patrol was on site", but nobody could be caught, reports press spokesman Markus Brettschneider.
Another attack on Bundeswehr pilots: lasers could even lead to a crash
Templin-Dahlenburg recalls the dramatic consequences that this reckless act could have: "Ultimately, this can cause the helicopter to crash."
The risky game with the laser endangers not only the lives of the pilots, but also the lives of the people who live in the area. The problem affects not only the Bundeswehr , but also others who are active in air traffic.
By Daria Neu
Similar laser attacks * occurred in the Bundeswehr in Fritzlar a few months ago. Here, too, strangers blinded a helicopter crew.
The Bundeswehr Tiger was banned from flying last year, not because of a laser * but because of technical defects.
* hna.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
