LRAD

LRAD’s decibels deter attackers
24 November, 2008 06:07:00 Capt.-David-Hare

"Damn, that hurt," I blurted out after experiencing an LRAD 500 demonstrated by Doug Morrison of Drum Cussac.

Morrison held a demonstration of the LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) at Derecktor Shipyard’s parking lot in South Florida for Capt. Greg Drewes of M/Y Predator and Klaus Jackson of M/Y Fortunate Sun. When I heard about the demo, I secured an invitation to experience the LRAD system firsthand.

My first knowledge of acoustical deterrence came from a CNN newscast in 2005 when the cruise ship Seaborne Spirit used it to deter pirates off the coast of Somalia. It worked marvelously well.

My mentor and friend Capt. Charles Hacker of M/Y Avia always has the system on deck and in stand-by mode when he transits the Red Sea. (To date, he has not had to direct the system at any incoming targets.)

The LRAD is a highly directional, long distance (500 meters) acoustical array for clear, intelligible hailing, notification and unmistakable warning. The audio program is on an MP3 platform and can be programmed with virtually any language spoken on the planet. So, if one is transiting the Red Sea, you can use the local dialect then change the program for transiting the South China Sea to that region’s spoken language.

The verbal message warns an incoming vessel to stand down, turn around and stay away or harm will come to them. After the verbal message, a deeply piercing, bone-chilling, ear-splitting, high-pitched warble sound emits from the speakers in a highly directional pattern. The person assigned to the LRAD uses a site, much like on a rifle, to point the acoustic signal directly at the incoming vessel. No human can withstand the sound without ear protection.

The LRAD fills a critical capability gap that was exposed after the attack on the USS Cole in 2000. The system is used to communicate, at safe ranges, and to determine the intent of the incoming vessel. It provides a highly effective and immediate non-lethal defense enhancement.

Human hearing occurs in two dimensions, frequency and intensity. The LRAD is optimized for a frequency of 2,000 hz, the frequency humans are most sensitive to. At 145 db the sound is substantially louder than a military jet at take off. This enables the operator to initially control a hostile environment without weapons or can provide the extra minutes to broadcast an alert and implement lock-down procedures.

Additionally, if trained marksmen are on board, it provides the clear understanding that if the oncoming vessel does not do a 180-degree turn, lethal force may be the only deterrent. Once the operator establishes that intent, deterministic rules of engagement can be employed.

The LRAD is not a total solution, but it does allow the crew more time in which to react if a hostile vessel continues to approach the yacht.

For example, in June 2004, the LRAD was used in Bahrain 410 times, according to U.S. Navy data. Of those, 338 times or 82 percent of the time, approaching vessels immediately diverted.

With more than 400 LRAD units deployed worldwide, the LRAD 500 is a sleek, compact choice for providing an unmistakable warning to an unknown incoming vessel.

At 26 pounds with a 20-inch diameter, anyone onboard can operate the system.

The LRAD 500 can be powered from 90 to 240 vac, 50 to 60 hz, drawing a continuous 2 amps. And the LRAD housing can be ordered in white, tan or gray.

I certainly desire "The Sound of Force Protection" in the form of an LRAD 500 on board my next transit of the Red Sea, South China Sea or the coast of Northern South America.

Capt. David Hare is a megayacht captain actively seeking his next command. Comments on this story are welcome at editorial@the-triton.com . If you have discovered a product or service that could help other yacht crew, drop us a line.
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