StormCaster-DX puts an aerial targeting laser in a soldier’s rucksack

Teledyne FLIR Defense has developed a multi-role laser designator called the StormCaster-DX. The military targeting system can be attached to a quadcopter small and light enough to be carried in a soldier’s rucksack.

When long-range weapons like artillery and rockets came on the scene, a new role opened up for warfighters. Being able to hurl a projectile over great distances has obvious advantages, but these become moot if the shooter can’t see the target. To overcome this, scouts were dispatched to act as forward observers or spotters to direct the fall of shot.

Whether individual soldiers, balloon crews, or airplane pilots, these observers had one thing in common; they were a lot closer to the enemy, who had a very strong motive to shoot at them.

In the middle of the 20th century, this situation became both safer and more effective with the invention of laser systems. By shining a laser light on a target, the observer could in an instant determine the distance to the target and…