Hand-held lasers are increasingly being used against Australian Defence Force assets, with military insiders blaming small Chinese maritime militia vessels for the dangerous tactic.
But Defence said no"military-grade lasers" were used against Australian Navy or Air Force units in the past yearEarlier this year, the Defence Department confirmedin the hotly contested South China Sea.
Now Defence has revealed the use of lasers from fishing vessels appears to be on the rise, particularly in congested waters. "The reason for fishing vessels using the lasers is unknown, but this may have been to draw attention to their presence in congested waterways."
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