Protecting a dignitary or a VIP in today's technology savvy terrorist generation is not as easy as it used to be. However, thanks to a new laser surveillance technology to be unveiled in Britain, snipers or assassins could be spotted in their nests before even firing a single shot. European and U.S. defense companies are putting more effort into research of anti-sniper defenses in response to threats in Afghanistan and Iraq, and at home. Most systems use acoustic or thermal sensors that depend on waiting for the first shot. The European aerospace group EADS has developed an alternative that aims to warn of attack and pinpoint the sniper before he pulls the trigger by bouncing light off his telescopic sight.

The ELLIPSE unit, resembling a speed radar on a tripod, sweeps a protected zone with laser beams. These are reflected back off any lens they hit. A processor then distinguishes the signature of a sniper's sight. If several machines are deployed around a dignitary at a political rally or in a sports stadium, the position of a sniper could be revealed as soon as the sight is spotted by "triangulation," the technique used in GPS satellite navigation.

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