Multi-technology Protector deters pirates
Protector enables the officer on watch to maintain 24 hour situational awareness and provides a robust yet non-lethal first line of counter measures.
The increasing threat to vessels from piracy attacks has lead Vector Developments to apply its experience of marine and military level mission critical systems to design an anti-piracy device.
Protector enables the officer on watch to maintain 24 hour situational awareness and provides a robust yet non-lethal first line of counter measures. Such a system can be combined with additional security measures, or forces, employed by a vessel when sailing in areas of risk.
In periods of high security alert, whether the vessel is alongside or at sea, the thermal imager enables all heat sources within a defined range to be monitored in all conditions. For continuous use, low light and high zoom colour cameras can be set to display both fields of view simultaneously, thus enabling the crew to maintain full situational awareness whilst zoomed in on a target.
An acoustic hailing device provides the means to challenge unwelcome approaches and issue verbal warnings, enabling clear communications to be issued at up to 1,500m (in ambient conditions). This device can also be used to engage the target with a deterrent tone of up to 153dB (105dB at 500m), which can be used as a defence against aggressors who have not responded to verbal requests to desist.
Experience has demonstrated that acoustic deterrents alone are rarely sufficient. So Protector incorporates a combination of search lamps and a laser. Search lamps have a dual function. With a 3km range each lamp is 75watt, 7.5 million candle power and they are used with the cameras for surveillance and navigation. They also have the ability to be used as a strobe light. Strobes are an effective deterrent because they do not allow the photoreceptors in the brain to reset, thereby causing shocks to an individual’s vision which can lead to confusion or dizziness.
Whether in defensive or man overboard situations, it is essential for a crew to have the ability to illuminate and designate targets in the water around their vessel. The laser beam colour can be adjusted for maximum performance for day and night and varying conditions. In defence of the vessel, the military grade laser can also impair the visual ability of the target and has been used as an anti-paparazzi device as it can disrupt camera optics.
A major benefit of using this laser in a defensive mode is that there is currently no counter measure that a target can take to filter the beam. Protector’s multiple sensor and deterrent technologies are housed in a carbon fibre platform. The platform is stabilised against the motion of the vessel which optimises its effectiveness in all sea states.
Protector is operated through a joystick, so all the technologies can be fully controlled from the safety of the bridge or security office. A radar interface can ensure targets can be automatically tracked and the system can be slaved to an electronic bearing line.
Brian Chivers, managing director of VDL said, ‘In designing Protector we wanted to create a system which would give crews, who have to sail through some of the trouble spots, the prerogative to “switch on” an improved level of detection and a series of effective but non-lethal deterrents if and when the situation demands.’
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