Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Ten High-Tech Weapons To Repel Pirates

Photo: The 'Dazzle Rifle' gun developed by the Air Force, intended to temporarily blind adversaries. Image U.S. Air Force

From FOX News:

How does a small gang of lightly armed Somali pirates hijack a modern cargo ship?

Speed and weaponry, mainly. Modern pirates, whether off the coast of Somalia or in the crowded shipping lanes of southeast Asia, typically use fast speedboats to zoom up to the sterns of slow-moving cargo ships. They then toss grappling hooks up to the rails and climb up ropes to clamber on deck.

Pirates are generally armed with assault rifles and, increasingly, rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Modern ships' crews are usually unarmed for a number of reasons, among them laws that prevent armed vessels from docking in the ports of many countries.

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