Laser Devices Inc. Dual Beam Aiming Laser-Intelligent (DBAL-I) at SHOT Show 2005

by David Crane
david@defensereview.com

All digital photos accompanying this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are the property of DefenseReview.com. Click on photos to view them full size.

While we’re on the subject of infrared (IR)/visible laser aimers/illuminators designed and developed as alternatives to the Insight Technology, Inc. AN/PEQ-2 family of Infrared Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Lasers (ITPIAL) (AN/PEQ-2 and AN/PEQ-2A), we must of, of course include the Laser Devices, Inc. (LDI) Dual Beam Aiming Laser (DBAL) and Dual Beam Aiming Laser-Intelligent (DBAL-I) systems in the discussion.

DefenseReview got to view and handle several DBAL-I units, although…

we’re not sure which exact models/configurations we photographed, since Laser Devices, Inc. makes a number of DBAL and DBAL-I models, and it’s difficult, at this point, for us to tell the difference between them, visually.

Laser Devices makes a standard DBAL-I, which is equipped with both visible (635nM) 5mW and infrared (835nM) 0.9mW laser target designators.  They also mak an IR only version (DBAL-IR), which is equipped with an infrared (835nM) laser illuminator operating at 15mW and a 0.9mW laser target designator, and a high power infrared DBAL unit (DBAL-I-HP) that’s equipped with a high-power (40mW) infrared (835nM) laser based illuminator and a 40mW laser target designator. Laser Devices, Inc. appears to offer A.R.M.S.-mountable versions all of these various configs.

DefenseReview hasn’t run any of the DBAL or DBAL-I units yet, but a U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) 1st Force Reconnaissance (Force Recon) operator (outstanding individual, by the way) we ran into and talked with for awhile at SHOT Show 2005 seemed to like the units and recommended that we take a look at them while we were at SHOT. Since DefenseReview had already published a Laser Devices, Inc. press release on the Dual Beam Aiming Laser-Intelligent (DBAL-I) system back in March, 2004, we were obviously already aware of the product(s), but we took his advice and went to the Laser Devices booth to inspect and and handle them. We liked what we saw and handled, but the proof is in the proverbial pudding–how well they function and hold up, operationally, in-theater. Hopefully, we’ll get to run one of the DBAL-I laser aimer/illuminators at the range, at some point. In the meantime, we’re looking for any operator feedback on the DBAL or DBAL-I we can get, from the Sandbox.

You can contact Laser Devices, Inc. by phone at 831-373-0701, or toll-free at 800-235-2162. Or, you can email them at sales@laserdevices.com.

If you’re government, military, or law enforcement, ask for Joseph Hotz, Laser Devices, Inc.’s Vice President of Government and International Contracts. You can contact Joseph directly via email at jhotz@laserdevices.com.

Stay tuned. DefRev plans on reporting more on the DBAL and DBAL-I visible/infrared (IR) laser aiming/illuminating devices in the future.

Additional DBAL/DBAL-I (at SHOT Show 2005) photos: