Article

2008-12-08 Home Front: WoT

Analyst: Use Lasers on Pirates (and Everyone Else)

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by tipper 2008-12-08 05:14|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 The military are afraid to use 'death ray' devices because of the potential negative press. But nobody is standing up for the Somali pirates, so why not try it out on them?

Posted by Richard of Oregon 2008-12-08 08:02|| 2008-12-08 08:02|| Front Page Top

#2 Because they deserve nothing better than cold steel with a whiff of high explosives.

Posted by Anonymoose 2008-12-08 08:50|| 2008-12-08 08:50|| Front Page Top

#3 we could just restore to service some ex-sub captains let go for surfacing under small vessels - just saying...

Posted by 3dc 2008-12-08 10:39|| 2008-12-08 10:39|| Front Page Top

#4 Yes, use a $50 million on a $5000 dinghy. That is cost effective. And that little little treaty banning blinding lasers.

I also have an idea with directed energy weapons. I call it the lead laser. Comes in all calibers and reasonable prices.

Posted by ed 2008-12-08 12:43|| 2008-12-08 12:43|| Front Page Top

#5 I call it the lead laser

Quantum mechanically speaking, this is simply a particle beam with *extremely* short wavelength. Hard to beat lead and powder when it comes to bang-for-the-buck.

As for blinding lasers, I don't think it counts as blinding if the target is totally vaporized.

Posted by SteveS 2008-12-08 14:26|| 2008-12-08 14:26|| Front Page Top

#6 A human target cannot be "vaporized" ala STAR TREK, etc. unless his local/area EM fields are first contained and isolated for him to "cook" at the molecular=and-lower level - widout it, at best you're just burning a nasty scraggly hole thru the body, a kindler gentler linear glorified flamethrower.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2008-12-08 18:32|| 2008-12-08 18:32|| Front Page Top

#7 Does this guy kill spiders with a sledge hammer? The Somali pirates are a bunch of guys with AK-47's and RPG's in a speed boat. A few rounds from a deck machine gun or a couple of shots from a small caliber deck cannon and they're toast.

Posted by DMFD 2008-12-08 21:28|| 2008-12-08 21:28|| Front Page Top

#8 A-10s on the high seas. I'm sure there are plenty of A-10 jockeys that have the capability of throttling back and sawing even a rubber dinghy in half. Personally, I'm still in favor of an AC-130 using the four miniguns in close alignment. Neither choice is particularly cost-effective, but seeing the aftermath (if there's anything left afterwards) might convince a few people that raising cobras would be a more profitable and safe occupation.

Posted by Old Patriot">Old Patriot 2008-12-08 23:28|| http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/]">[http://oldpatriot.blogspot.com/] 2008-12-08 23:28|| Front Page Top

23:40 Thens Hatfield2468
23:28 Old Patriot
23:14 3dc
23:11 JosephMendiola
23:10 Fleamp Mussolini1528
23:06 Clinter Wittlesbach3525
22:56 RD
22:53 3dc
22:45 JosephMendiola
22:41 Sgt. Mom
22:36 JosephMendiola
22:32 JosephMendiola
22:29 3dc
22:29 Steve White
22:19 JosephMendiola
22:15 USN,Ret.
22:15 eLarson
22:13 eLarson
22:12 USN,Ret.
22:12 SteveS
22:11 Old Patriot
22:07 Alaska Paul
22:06 USN,Ret.
22:04 Frank G