NON-LETHAL WEAPONS

to Protect Critical Infrastructures

6th NMIOTC Annual Conference
2-4 June 2015

RAdm Massimo Annati, ITN (retd)

m.annati@marina.difesa.it

European Working Group

Non-Lethal Weapons
Forum for exchanging information and promoting
cooperation
Maintains the Commercially Available NLW Data-Base
Support to EDA No-Le-Cap Project Team
8th NLW Symposium (18-20 May 2015, Ettlingen, Germany)

www.non-lethal-weapons.eu

Non-Lethal Weapons
NATO Definition
Non-Lethal Weapons are weapons which are explicitly designed
and developed to incapacitate or repel personnel, with a low
probability of fatality or permanent injury, or to disable equipment,
with minimal undesired damage or impact on the environment.

NATO POLICY on NLW

(AC/259-N559)
Take military action in situations where use of lethal force is not
the preferred option
Improve forces protection
Delay / prevent hostile actions
Control escalation

Dilemma
Tourist or Terrorist ?

Early discrimination allows

Different types of action

(Lethal ; Non-Lethal; No action)

Dilemma
Tourist or Terrorist ?

Killing an hostile subject is the easiest part of the job.

The difficult part is determining whether the subject is hostile or not
Sensors dont provide the target intentions and, most of the times, not even
its clear identification.

A BOAT IS A BOAT IS A BOAT

Stopping Suspect, Lethal Force

Use Lethal
Force
International
Incident

No Action Taken
No active
engagement
Not Threat

Defeat Prior
to Hostile Act

Hostile Act
Takes Place

Threat

Stopping Suspect, Non-Lethal Force

Act before discriminate

Use Lethal
Force
International
Incident

Defeat Prior
to Hostile Act

Graduated
NL response
No Action Taken
No active
engagement
Not Threat

Hostile Act
Takes Place

Threat

Escalation of Force Concept

Warn/Determine Intent : If the subject, after receiving

unambiguous warnings, keeps a potentially dangerous
behavior, then becomes a legitimate target for escalation of
force

Deter: Non-Lethal Reaction (mostly anti-personnel)

Voluntary compliance (pain or fear of worse)

Disable: Non-Lethal Reaction (mostly anti-material)

Incapacitation (physically stopped-disabled)

Lethal reaction

End game, traditional way

Types of Targets
Offshore

Offshore oil-gas platforms

Wind farms

Coastal

Afloat

Pipeline terminals
LNG terminals
Refineries
Harbors
Power stations

Crude carriers
LNG tankers

Offshore Energy

Coastal Facilities

Four-Dimension Game:

Air
Water Surface
Underwater
Land

Four-Dimension Game:

Air
Water Surface
Underwater
Land

Some solutions work across many

domains
a) Acoustic and Optical Warning
b) RF Engine Stopper

Some is very target-dependant

Propeller Entanglers from Nail Bands

Types of Threats

Careless tourists-fishermen
Defying (drunk?) youngsters
Political protesters
Environmental activists
Criminals (robbers-pirates)
Insurgents-Militias-Terrorists
Kamikaze Terrorists

The Environmental Warriors

And the Real Terrorists

2002 Limburg
2004 Basra terminal
2010 M.Star

Types of Threats vs. Reactions

Warn
Deter
Disable
Kill

Careless tourists-fishermen
Defying (drunk?) youngsters
Political protesters
Environmental activists
Criminals (robbers-pirates)
Insurgents-Militias-Terrorists
Kamikaze Terrorists

Offshore Platforms Issues

Mix reqs between afloat and shore facilities
How off is offshore from shore ?
Legal issue for enforcing domestic law and establishing
keep-out security zones outside territorial waters
Are naval/coast guard fast response assets available ?
Manned or unamanned sites ?
Domestic legal issues for arming civilians and legal authority
for use of force
Is armed security team available on site ?
Training ?
Cost (life-cycle) is still a very serious issue !
Compared to ships lesser costraints for space-weight-power

NLW Protection
Warn
Determine
Intent

Nets/Barriers
Acoustic Hailing

Optical Warning & Disruption

Flash-Bang Warning

RF Engine Stoppers
Unmanned Vehicles

Deter
Delay

Stop
Disable

NLW Protection. At Which Cost?

Procure
Cost

Nets/Barriers
Acoustic Hailing

Optical Warning & Disruption

Flash-Bang Warning

RF Engine Stoppers
Unmanned Vehicles

Operate
Cost

Public
Accept

 Very many
different types of
barrier available

Lightweight

Heavyweight

Medium weight

Acoustic Hailing Devices

This is a communication device,

this is NOT a weapon !

Background - Environment
120 dB annoyance (40-50m)
140 dB pain (5-10 m)
156-160 dB ear damage (n/a)

MASS (Multirole Acoustic Stabilized System) CS-424

In service onboard latest ITN vessels
HS-18 156dB acoustic projector
Receiving Remote Micro feature (10)
LaserSec 5 MW laser dazzler
Search Light 12 mln Cd
Stabilized and remote controlled

Laser Dazzling
Pointer - Targeting

Dazzler

The diverging beam of dazzler increases the safety of the laser and
facilitates long-range aiming at moving targets and multiple
individuals. At 100 meters, the spot size of a dazzler is already
about 1 m, facilitating aiming at a moving individual, vehicle, or
group of individuals, while keeping the laser harmless to the human
eye
Human eye 4X more sensitive to green light than red light during the
day,
360X more sensitive to green at night.

Long Range Ocular Interruption - LROI

Under development
Consideration given to 5 W
Adaptable NOHD
Effective up to 3 km

Current USN-USCG asset

Green Dazzler Laser
LA-9P replaced GBD-IIIC (B.E. Meyers)

NOHD 65 m; incl. safety auto-switch off

250 mW
Hail & Warn: 300 m (day); 4,000 m (night)
Offensive glaring at up to 500 m (night)

LaserSec UC-5 Medusa

5,000 mW
Adjustable beam (circular-ellyptical, divergence), examples:
NOHD 80m; 2.5m diam @400m
NOHD 400m; 2.5m diam @2km

UC-5 OEM module for EO/IR suites or LRAD coupling

Medusa (same circuits & optics) for compact rifle-like mounting 80 hrs op

MEDUSA, 5000 mW
LA-9P, 250 mW

Joint Non-Lethal Warning Munition

40mm (USN)
CSI Combined Systems Inc.
Flash-Bang-Smoke
300 m range (effects are visible-audible at much longer range)
170dB @1m
7 mln candles
About USD 40 apiece

RF Vessel Stopper
.

USCG & USN Long Term (?) Effort

Uses RF transmissions to disrupt engine electronic components
Required ranges:
50 m Chase scenarios (boat)
100 m Force Protection scenarios

Does not work against engines equipped with carburetors

RF Vessel Stopper
.

US Navy trials with USV

Achieved 20-50 m range (depending on target complexity)
Pulse generator and antenna

HPEM High-Power Electro-Magnetic

Portable Engine Stopper (Germany)
Diehl DS-110 family (suitcase)

Diehl and German BWB carried out trials with Royal Australian Navy and
DSTO against boat engines and jetskis.
Activity first began in 2009. Demonstrared in Jervis Bay-AUS in Sept 2014.
Demonstrated in Taranto-IT, during NATO NEMO trials, in Nov 2014.
Stopped a jetski at 70m and shot down a quadcopter UAV at 150+m range

coming back to unmanned systems

24/7 availability,
very limited dependence on sea and weather conditions,
no risk for crew in case of approaching a suicidal terrorist (al-Basra oil terminal
multiple attacks, Apr 2004)
BUT very (very!) scarce public acceptance for an armed USV free to move in
crowded public area
BUT risk of interference or lost of control

Possible NLW for USV include:

acoustic hailing devices,

laser dazzler,
flash-bang grenade launchers,
water cannons,
RF engine stoppers,
eventually, even a disarmed USV can ram or bump hostile/unknown boats

First ask !
Then shoot (if this is still the case)

Questions ?

m.annati@marina.difesa.it