IN Brief:
- Sentinel Photonics has launched LASERD NOMAD for military and security vehicles.
- The system provides 360-degree horizontal and 150-degree vertical laser threat coverage.
- Compact laser-warning electronics are moving into retrofittable platform-protection systems.
Sentinel launches vehicle laser warning system
Sentinel Photonics has launched LASERD NOMAD, a vehicle-mounted laser warning system for armoured, soft-skinned, military, and security platforms.
The system extends Sentinel’s LASERD technology into mobile operations, giving crews real-time awareness of laser threats in contested environments. It is designed for rapid deployment on land vehicles and boats, with a walk-on fit that can be integrated with existing vehicle systems.
LASERD NOMAD provides continuous 360-degree horizontal and 150-degree vertical coverage. It detects laser rangefinders and target designators across the non-visible spectrum, giving crews warning of threats that may otherwise be invisible before a precision strike.
Alerts are delivered through audio and visual cues on a rugged Android device running Sentinel’s Laser Detect application. The system uses a threat-specific sensor architecture to filter civilian and battlefield background lasers, reducing false alarms in complex operating environments.
Jackson White, CCO at Sentinel Photonics, said: “Vehicle crews operating in contested environments face laser-guided threats they cannot see coming. NOMAD closes that gap. It retrofits to any platform in minutes, operates without degrading vehicle performance, and delivers operationally validated early warning that gives crews a real chance to survive.”
The system has a low size, weight, and power footprint, weighing 1.1kg and measuring 200mm by 160mm by 100mm. It can connect to a 5V to 24V vehicle power outlet or a standard USB outlet, and is IP67-rated for harsh environments.
Field validation included detection of military-grade designators and rangefinders at standoff ranges above 4km. Sentinel reported designator detection at greater than 50m diffuse scatter at 4.3km and 10m off-axis at 4.3km, with rangefinder detection at 20m diffuse scatter and 5m off-axis at the same range.
Laser warning systems are moving into lighter, more flexible platform-protection architectures. Instead of being limited to large or specialised vehicles, sensing and alerting systems are increasingly expected to retrofit onto mixed fleets without placing heavy demands on vehicle power, integration time, or crew workload.
Optoelectronic survivability is also becoming more closely tied to packaging and manufacturing quality. Rugged transfer-moulded optoelectronics for defence show how optical components are being adapted for environments where shock, vibration, moisture, and thermal cycling can all affect performance.
False-alarm control remains central to the usefulness of any laser-warning device. A system that alerts too frequently becomes operational noise, while a missed designation can leave a crew exposed. Spectral sensitivity, signal processing, environmental filtering, ruggedisation, and user-interface design therefore sit at the centre of the product, rather than at the edges.
LASERD NOMAD ships as a complete platform-protection device with mounting hardware, a vehicle power kit, an end-user device, and the Laser Detect application. Sentinel is offering in-country training and remote or on-site support, with software upgrades supplied through the product lifecycle.
Its success will depend on how easily it can be fitted, powered, maintained, and trusted across existing fleets. Defence electronics are increasingly judged on practical deployability as much as sensor performance, particularly where new threats are being introduced faster than vehicle fleets can be replaced.
