New Shipboard Laser Weapon Takes Aim at Would-Be Pirates

Just wondering what advantages this system has over the system that uses sound to deter pirates.

A Mirror?

Kinda a pointless 'weapon' in my opinion. Shine a bright light in their eyes while they shoot at you.. Politically correct warfare!

Set the fckers on fire. That's a deterrent!

Why waste this on temporarily blinding the pirates?
That won't make the pirates go away, they will just pick another target.

So while you have a laser targeting the pirates about a mile away, follow it up with an RPG.

Just arresting these pirates won't make them go away either. They need to be shot on sight or hung as soon as they are captured.

I can't agree that the laser is a good idea. Couldn't it be overcome with a pair of welding goggles and a sniper rifle?

The tactics of using new anti-riot technology such as sound (as mentioned above) and projected microwaves seems more viable or could at least be used in combination with this laser technology.

Just shoot the bastards. No need to develop a fancy new weapon. Guns are so much cheaper and we already have plenty of them.

Just goes to show that any problem can eventually be solved by some type of laser.

kids, please. 1) pirates take hostages, so shooting them up is not always the wisest course.

2) merchant ships aren't allowed to carry fire-arms in international waters. ergo, laser.

I wish there was a like button so i could like the comment above this. Also for the rpg comment. Rpgs are incredibly inaccurate so a lazer would not be of much use for an rpg. Not to mention they would be shooting at a small, most likely moving target so an rpg is just a bad idea. Not to mention, i do not see how arresting would not stop them seeing as how they would be in jail.

Has anyone considered the parrots? What effect will this have on them?

You can not arrest the pirates cause of maritime law.... But has anyone considered sending a group of ninjas???

All someone needs to do is use a more powerful beam from one of those old fashion lighthouses made of limelight. Limelight lighthouse beams were so bright they were said to be focused up to 13 miles away. It should be a lot less expensive and easier to build than a laser beam if all you are going to do was temporarily blind them 1mile away by shining the beam continuous on them.

Ron Bennett

The pirates'll catch on and just wear special goggles or something, it's a nice thought that people are going out of their ways to develop things to nonviolently solve things but I don't think a big ol' lazer is going to do much justice.

The only technology needed is a short change to international maritime law that allows merchant ships to carry arms. A single .50 mount on half of the merchant ships in the India Ocean would finish pirating in a few months.

Of course, any modern navy could also easily satilite and sink the "mother ships" that these pirates operate off of, if they had the balls to be the one doing the slaughtering (as the bleeding hearts cry "it's not their fault they are priates!").

While I do understand the various aspects of actually arming merchant vessels, ie Lloyds of London will not underwrite an armed merchantman, nor will any other large underwriter, also the fact that many ports will not allow armed vessels especially those from certain nations; I just have to say that I think it is idiocy to spend millions on a beam weapon that only naval craft will have, that only serves to deter the pirates till the next actual merchantman comes along without naval escort. THE NAVY SHOULD BE KILLING THESE MURDERERS. WITH LEAD BULLETS. No millions in research and development needed. This is BS, and we are throwing good money after bad.