Laser cannons to fight off pirates

Hmm, but wouldn't such a small pirate boat be fairly incapable in heavier seas?

Not as much as one might think. I got to see Navy SEALs playing on their ribs and they were hitting 30 foot waves head on and riding up vertical. I was convinced that they were going to come right back down and keep going down. But, they knew what they were doing, and they were able to navigate to the carrier with no problem. But as for pirates, Heavy seas would be a problem for them too, mostly because they might get lost. Ideally, you want 5-10 foot swells. It is easily navigable, and it allows you to peek without being in full view the entire time.

Welp, just goes to show ya... South Korea decided to play Rambo, boarded a ship taken over by pirates, and killed five of them. Now they have to watch their backs because the other pirates are planning revenge.

Who ya calling a whelp? I agree that there is a chance that this might escalate; however in everything I've read the pirates really have limited access to $$$ and weaponry. I am still of the opinion that due to these factors the pirates have limited capacity -- even if they wanted a "blood feud" they won't have the numbers or the tools to do it with. Also from the same article: "After the operation, some experts said retaliation seemed unlikely, since the pirates' business model is predicated on keeping crews unhurt to extract ransoms&qu... [More]

Well, two points: first, limited resources never stopped guerrila warfare. It just made it more creative. But I would not consider that to be the biggest danger. The biggest danger to me would be that now that the pirates know the South Korean army will kill them if it gets involved, any hostages they take will automatically be in greater danger the next time they pirate a ship. Even in the event they see the S Koreans coming, they will still take the hostages with them to prevent themselves being shot out of the water. Of course. These are the same advisers that said to go ahead ... [More]

In deffence to pirates against commercial ships? cant wait to see this on Whale Wars

Hmmmmm.... the Russian's seem pretty capable of hitting that pirate ship. But then again, they also threw everything and the kitchen sink at them. I like the Russian anti-piracy policy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhkZwZ2h2uA&feature=player_embedded

Yeah, the Russians have a great model... All the way until the pirates take a couple of vessels that are either Russian bound or Russian owned/operated, kill the crews and scuttle the ships - and the merchant mariner world starts to avoid shipping things to Russia because it is just "too dangerous". A "self-blockaded" country will quickly change their tune when prices skyrocket and/or goods get scarce. This is the problem with "simple" fixes - they tend to be "simple".

Laser weapons have been used before. The pirates soon developed countermeasures. Where do you think that the tradition of the Eyepatch came from ? meow purr

As is your simplistic explanation. Maybe your crystal ball is better than mine? Based on what I've read & seen in the media, the pirates are not about vendettas or blood feuds. They are about survival & greed.