Laser beacon system for aircraft collision hazard determination

A laser beacon collision hazard determination system is capable of simultaneously determining range, bearing, and heading of threat aircraft. Calculations demonstrate that threat aircraft may be observed at > 10 km under good visibility conditions. When the visibility is limited to 5.6 km (3 nautical miles), the shortest possible warning time for aircraft below 3000 m (10,000 ft) can be > 15 sec. A wide variety of detection systems may be chosen based on cost, detection range, and sophistication. Traffic saturation is not a problem since closer aircraft produce easily distinguishable signals so traffic may be prioritized. Preliminary tests demonstrate that accurate range measurements are possible under daylight conditions.