Defense Company Markets Laser Weapon to Battle Pirates

Ships sailing through areas known for pirate attacks might soon have a new weapon in their arsenal: lasers that could target the attackers and keep them at bay.

It's not a death ray meant to vaporize attackers but rather a low-powered laser designed to temporarily blind and disorient potential aggressors, like pirates, and keep them away from the ship.

BAE

British defense company BAE Systems says it developed and tested the Laser Dome for counterpiracy use.

British defense firm BAE Systems says it had developed and tested the laser specifically for counterpiracy use.

"We successfully showed that the laser works not just during the night, but also in full daylight," Roy Evans, a BAE Systems official, said of the weapon.

At longer ranges, the laser would be used as a warning device; closer in, it would target the pirates directly.

"The glare from the laser is intense enough to make it impossible to aim weapons like AK-47s or [rocket-propelled grenades] but doesn't have a permanent effect," Evans said.

The dazzling laser is not the only nonlethal, anti-piracy weapon on the market: In 2005, a sonic blaster called the Long Range Acoustic Device was used to ward off pirates from a luxury cruise ship. The device creates an intolerable level of sound.

BAE Systems says its laser could be used on commercial ships and could even work with the ship's radar to track and target pirates. The company says the laser, if used correctly, would not cause permanent eye damage.