U.S. Military Zapped by Soviet Lasers : Pentagon: Officials are upset Soviets are violating spirit of treaty by shooting beams into the cockpits of Air Force jets.

The Soviets are suspected of shooting lasers at four U.S. military aircraft in the Pacific in recent weeks, damaging the eyesight of an Air Force crewman in one incident, Pentagon officials said today.

The actions occurred despite an agreement last summer by top U.S. and Soviet military officials designed to avoid such dangerous military encounters. Although the agreement is not due to go into effect until Jan. 1, Pentagon officials have said privately it is dispiriting that such incidents were continuing.

Defense Department spokesman Pete Williams, questioned at a news briefing, said two Soviet ships are suspected of aiming lasers at four U.S. planes off Hawaii during the last three weeks.

Williams refused to respond when asked how the incident would affect U.S.-Soviet relations. “I will not characterize the incident beyond describing it,” he said.

Pentagon officials are investigating the matter, and some expressed irritation privately.

“This really shows that these guys (Soviets) are up to something,” said one senior official who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity.

It has not been officially determined that lasers were used. The source said, however, that such activity is suspected because of past incidents and descriptions provided by the military personnel involved in the most recent cases.

Williams said he could not identify the suspected Soviet vessels. Pentagon sources said, however, that one was a military ship that was in the waters where Soviets have traditionally observed the splashdowns of their missile tests.

U.S. planes traditionally observe the movements of such Soviet ships, the sources said.

Lasers are sometimes used as range finders to target enemy aircraft.

The afflicted U.S. crewman--a loadmaster aboard an HC-130 aircraft--suffered disruption of his color vision, headaches and other visual problems and is under medical evaluation, the sources said.

The crewman had been wearing “laser eye protection” gear at the time, and U.S. officials are also investigating why the damage could occur despite that equipment, the sources said.