Originally Posted by Barry-xlovecam

https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/INTRO/570

Protocol on Blinding Laser Weapons (Protocol IV to the 1980 Convention), 13 October 1995


Both the Russian Federation and the United States of America are parties to this ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross) agreement.

I suppose if you target a manned aircraft with a laser weapon you would blind the pilot before the aircraft is destroyed and its personnel fried to a crisp. That would be a war crime when lasers are used directly against combatant personnel.

If you target unmanned drones then there is no war crime -- machine v. machine -- may the better machine win.