Laser–Machine Gun Mashup Tested on ‘Pirate Ships’

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http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/09/lasers-versus-pirates

Now we know what the Navy plans to do with its experimental hybrid of laser cannon and machine gun: zap pirate ships.
Two defense giants, Boeing and BAE Systems, announced late last month that they would team up on a $2.8 million Navy contract for a prototype version of BAE’s Mk-38 25-mm machine gun with a little upgrade: a death ray. As the companies excitedly explained, the new gun would protect surface ships from pretty much everything, from enemy boats to small drones.
What the companies weren’t letting on was that they had already tested the machine-laser-gun a month before the announcement. And in tests that BAE — hardly an uninterested party — claims were successful, the new Mk-38 took on its most likely adversary: pirate skiffs.
In late June, the waters of the Choctawatchee Bay near Florida’s Elgin Air Force Base stood in for the Gulf of Aden, as ersatz pirate ships “swarmed” amidst dense “civilian” maritime traffic to harass a mock Navy “platform” armed with the laser gun. The enhanced version of the Mk-38 used its lasers to fix the enemy targets for bursts of machine gun fire, before switching up to laser mode to “defeat the targets” with a “high beam-quality 10-kilowatt laser,” BAE spokeswoman Stephanie Bissell Serkhoshian told Danger Room.

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Third US carrier, 4,000 Marines augment US armada opposite Iran

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Third US carrier, 4,000 Marines augment US armada opposite Iran

2 minutes ago from todaysworld

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  USS Nassau: More US naval-air-marine muscle off Iran
  debkafile's military sources report that Washington has posted a third carrier opposite Iran's shores. It is supported by amphibious assault ships and up to 4,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel, bringing the total US strength in these waters to three carriers and 10,000 combat personnel.
  The USS Nassau (LHA-4) Amphibious Ready Group 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, tasked with supporting the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet area of operations, is cruising around the Bab al-Mandeb Straits where the Gulf of Aden flows into the Red Sea. Its presence there accounts for Tehran announcing Sunday, June 27 that its "aid ship for Gaza" had been called off, for fear an American military boarding party would intercept the vessel and search it.  This would be permissible under the latest UN sanctions punishing the Islamic Republic for its nuclear program.
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Somali Pirates Move Hijacked Ships After Insurgents Seize Town

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clipped from www1.voanews.com Somali pirates have moved three hijacked ships from the port of Harardheere, which was seized by Islamist militants on Sunday. Witnesses say pirates sent the three ships farther out to sea as fighters from the insurgent group Hizbul Islam stormed into Harardheere, prompting pirates there to flee. The destination of the ships is not known but many of the pirates have fled to another pirate stronghold, Hobyo, farther north on Somalia's eastern coast. A spokesman for Hizbul Islam, Abdinasir Mohamed Afdhuub, says the group seized Harardheere to impose Islamic law. However, pirates from the area say Hizbul Islam had demanded a cut of the pirates multi-million dollar business – hijacking ships for ransom. Somali pirates have made tens of millions of dollars hijacking ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean over the last few years. The pirates are currently believed to be holding 24 ships with about 400 crew members.

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N.Korean Cargo Ship Hijacked in Gulf of Aden

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clipped from english.chosun.com N.Korean Cargo Ship Hijacked in Gulf of Aden A North Korean cargo ship has been hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden just south of the Yemeni coast. The European Union Naval Force says pirates on Wednesday seized the 4,800-ton ship MV Rim owned by Libya's White Sea Shipping and that the vessel is now being taken to the Somali Basin. So far there have been no reports on the nationalities or the number of crew members aboard the ship. Anti-piracy forces are said to be closely monitoring the situation.

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China may build Middle East naval base - Telegraph

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• China may build Middle East naval base - Telegraph

  "n a sign of the growing confidence of the Chinese military, Admiral Yin Zhuo said that the country may set up a base in the Gulf of Aden in order to support missions against Somali pirates. Since the end of last year, China has sent four flotillas to the Middle East in order to take part in anti-piracy operations together with US, European, Indian and Russian warships. The latest mission, which departed from China in October, involved two missile frigates. Mr Yin said a permanent base in the region would help supply Chinese ships. "We are not saying we need our navy everywhere in order to fulfil our international commitments," he said, cautiously. "We are saying to fulfil our international commitments, we need to strengthen our supply capacity." His words, which came just a few days after China rescued 25 sailors from Somali pirates, were posted in an interview on the Defence ministry website. China is reported to have paid a USD4 million (Pounds2.5 million) ransom to free the De Xin Hai, a coal carrier. Mr Yin, who is a senior researcher at the navy's Equipment Research centre, pointed out that the first Chinese ships in the Gulf of Aden spent 124 days at sea without docking, a logistical challenge. However, Chinese ships have since been permitted to dock at a French base. "If China establishes a similar long-term supply base, I believe that the nations in the region and the other countries involved with the (anti-pirate) escorts would understand," he said. "I think a permanent, stable base would be good for our operations.""

  tags: China, Military, Base, Middle, East, End, Times, War, Soldier, Navy, Global, Warnings

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