A laser painter is a device that provides a reference for guided weaponry or other precision tasks.

Battlefield 3Edit

Laser Painter
Thermal Optics (AH) Below Radar (SH) ← → Below Radar (AH) ECM Jammer (SH)
Unlocked at	• 30500 AH score • 40000 SH score
Special Feature	Helicopter-mounted laser designation
Vehicle type	• Air Vehicles (Pilot,Co-Pilot (scout helicopter)
Customization slot	Permanent upgrade

Laser Painter is a specialization available for helicopters. It allows the pilot to designate targets for guided weaponry. Combined with Guided Missiles, this allows a helicopter team to independently attack enemy vehicles with extremely damaging laser designated weaponry, as a hit will disable any armored ground vehicle and destroy other air vehicles. The CITV Station in Main Battle Tanks provides a similar feature.

In attack helicopters the Laser Painter is a nose-mounted laser designator module that automatically laser paints vehicles (empty and enemy) within the pilot's reticle (and by extension the axis of the aircraft).

For scout helicopters, the September 2012 patch moved the gadget to the copilot seat (4th position), and is activated by pressing Gadget 2. It provides a 240° field of view, standard day optics, and combination zoom/thermal imaging. This change prevents solo pilots from using guided missiles on their own laser locks. However, other passengers carrying Javelins can now attack the designated target, provided it is on their side of the aircraft. (Passengers cannot turn far enough to engage the pilot's target.)

As of April 2013, Battlelog currently does NOT show the Laser Painter as one of the unlockables for the scout helicopter: it still requires a total of 40,000 points, placing it between Below Radar (32,000 points) and ECM Jammer (48,000 points), giving these upgrades an 8000 points interval.

As with the SOFLAM and CITV station, the Laser Painter will appear as a red glint on the helicopter from the potential target's point of view.

Laser designating an enemy vehicle will give the player a Target Designated bonus upon a successful lock. The player will also receive a Designated Target Hit bonus corresponding to the amount of damage the vehicle received.

KeysEdit

Scout Helicopter (4th seat)Edit

Gadget 1

Solider view

Gadget 2

Laser Painter

While using laser painterEdit

Secondary fire

Toggle between day optics, normal FOV; and thermal optics, zoomed view

TacticsEdit

A good tactic to use in an attack helicopter, with both a pilot using the laser painter and a gunner using guided missiles is for the pilot to designate enemy vehicles within range and for the gunner to attack those vehicles with guided missiles, one target at a time. The gunner should switch to the automatic cannon while the missile reloads and the pilot engages the vehicles with the helicopter's rockets whilst providing a clear line-of-slight for the gunner.

Since the Laser Painter can paint air vehicles, and the guided missile can target painted aircraft, it is possible for attack helicopters to become significantly more effective at disabling and destroying enemy aircraft. The Pilot can engage enemy aircraft with heat-seekers whilst simultaneously designating the aircraft for the gunner's guided missile. The Pilot fires once to force the enemy aircraft to use countermeasures, then whilst keeping lock, fires the second heat-seeker and the Gunner fires the guided missile. If done correctly, this should result in a vehicle disable or destroy.