http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42538948...ion/?GT1=43001

"lasers could one day protect military vessels from the same kind of tiny boat that almost sunk the destroyer U.S.S. Cole"

Why don't they just good old fashion blow them the fack up... My guess is I would not approach any of these vessels with a small boat these days anyway they ALL remember the USS Cole...

What a waste of a pair of 200's

that's exactly what I was thinking...I could have gotten some old chrysler 75's or something.......there is you govenment waste in action!!!!

now if you can just get the pirates to hold still long enough....

yea noticed that myself....GLH has the right idea... KABOOM!!!! job done!!!

Ya, all you gotta do is get "close" to the target with a real weapon!

What a dumb test. Any small boat would have gotten close enough to a ship to blow it up by the time it takes that laser to burn through the cowl of that engine.

A couple Terminator mini guns would turn that thing to shreds in seconds

Wouldn't it be way faster to just use that thing to burn through the pirates?

My opinion, there has been much missing of a larger point here.

The motors were shot up for dramatic effect. (hollywood term, look it up)
Flames and all that look great on the video.

But, let's go a little below the surface...
or actually at the surface, if you will.

Notice how quickly that thing burns through the FIBERGLASS COWL.
That chit burns HOT.
Now, imagine you are a pirate in a FIBERGLASS BOAT.

Imagine how much damage you could cause by aiming a laser like that somewhere...
oh, say-- anywhere near the water line of the pirate boat... start small, maybe a quarter inch by six-inch slice.
How about make it twelve inches, up near the bow?

Would that be a good water scoop?

To recap:

You're a pirate.
In a small boat with several other pirates.
On open ocean a half mile from your pirate target.
Suddenly, you have some unexpected boating-related issues.

Most of us can relate, amirite?