Laser designator pods (LDP)

1 . A Laser Designator Pod (LDP) protective system, the LDP protective system comprising:

a protective hood;

a laser detector arranged within the protective hood to generate a signal when exposed to laser radiation within a predefined range of wavelengths; and,

a computing device to record the generated signal,

wherein the protective hood is opaque to laser radiation within the predefined range of wavelengths.

2 . The system of claim 1 wherein the laser detector and the computing device are physically separated, with the laser detector being arranged for use within the protective hood and the computing device being arranged for use outside the protective hood.

3 . The system of claim 2 wherein the laser detector and the computing device are electrically connected by means of a cable.

4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein power is provided to the system by means of a portable battery pack, a mains to DC convertor, or Power over Ethernet (PoE).

5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the laser detector is provided with an optical emitter operable at a wavelength within the predefined range of wavelengths and arranged to function in a self-test mode.

6 . The system of claim 5 wherein the laser detector is provided with a further optical emitter arranged to emit light at a wavelength outside the predefined range of wavelengths to indicate a power-on status of the system.

7 . The LDP protective system of claim 1 , wherein the laser detector is a photodiode sensitive to wavelengths in the range of 500-1700 nm.

8 . The LDP protective system of claim 1 , wherein the computing device is configured to indicate a detected signal and report an associated wavelength and/or wavelength range, and/or pulse repetition frequency, and/or operating mode of the LDP.

9 . A Laser Designator Pod (LDP) comprising the system according to claim 1 .

10 . The LDP of claim 9 wherein the predefined range of wavelengths correspond with a range of wavelengths emitted by a laser in the LDP.

11 . The LDP of claim 10 , wherein the system is arranged to indicate that the laser in the LDP has fired and that the laser is operating within the predefined range of wavelengths.

12 . The LDP of claim 9 , wherein the system is configured to detect a plurality of predefined wavelength ranges, each of the plurality of predefined wavelength ranges corresponding to an operational mode of the LDP, each operational mode comprising a discreet range of predefined wavelengths.

13 . The LDP of claim 12 wherein the predefined wavelength ranges correspond to three operational modes of the LDP, the operational modes comprising:

a training mode comprising a predefined wavelength in the range of from 1200 to 1700 nm;

a combat mode comprising a predefined wavelength in the range of from 800 to 1200 nm; and

a marker mode comprising a predefined wavelength in the range of from 500 to 1100 nm.

14 . The LDP according to claim 9 , wherein the system is arranged for communication with a further computing device via a wired or wireless connection wherein the further computing device is arranged to execute a program to perform a test procedure on the LDP.

15 . A method of detecting laser fire within a protective hood fitted over a Laser Designator Pod (LDP) using the Laser Designator Pod (LDP) protective system of claim 1 , the method comprising:

providing the laser detector within the protective hood;

performing a test on the LDP;

detecting the presence of a fired laser within a predefined range of wavelengths; wherein the predefined range of wavelengths correspond with a range of wavelengths emitted by a laser in the LDP;

generating a signal in response to the laser detector being exposed to laser radiation within the predefined range of wavelengths; and

recording the generated signal using a computing device.