US military aircraft have been hit many times by lasers, possibly by China

Enlarge / U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jonathan E. Dewitt, a forward air controller, assigned to Battalion Landing Team, 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (BLT 2/6), 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), provides landing zone control to a section of MV-22B Osprey medium tilt-rotor aircraft, April 2, 2018. (credit: Cpl. Santino Martinez / US Marine Corps)

US military pilots operating from an American base in the nation of Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa, have been reporting recent incidents of "laser strikes" believed to be coming from a Chinese military base just eight miles away.

A recent "Notice to Airmen" (NOTAM) cautioned of "unauthorized laser activity," adding that there had been "multiple lazing events involving a high-power laser" near the Chinese base.

The Camp Lemonnier base at the Djibouti International Airport hosts military bases from several nations, including France and Japan. Approximately 4,000 Americans are stationed there, many of whom are involved in counterterrorism and drone operations. China's base opened in August 2017.

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