Plain English Meaning

A device that senses how fast and which way the aircraft is turning by sending two beams of light in opposite directions around a loop. When the aircraft rotates, the light beams take slightly different times to complete the loop, and that tiny difference tells the system the rate of turn.

Full Definition

Solid-state sensors that detect aircraft rotation by measuring a small frequency difference between two laser beams traveling in opposite directions around a closed optical path. When the unit rotates, one beam's path effectively lengthens while the other shortens, producing a frequency shift proportional to the rate of rotation. Laser gyros have no moving parts and are a core component of modern inertial navigation and reference ().