..:: India Strategic ::. Navy: Long Range Acoustic DeviceShout, Threaten, Warn: It will do that all in many languages

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Editorial

Indian Navy installs anti-piracy device on warships

Published: September 2011

Mumbai. The Indian Navy has installed the Long Range Acoustic Device (LRAD) on many of its ships to warn pirates and undesired elements to keep away.

LRAD, as the device is normally known, was seen on INS Mysore and also on INS Satpura, the Navy’s second stealth frigate commissioned recently.

Sources told India Strategic that this system is being installed on most of the naval ships as it can automatically translate warnings into several languages, depending upon the choice of the Captain and the region his vessel is sailing in. LRAD is a non-lethal system but if required, can injure the targeted personnel with literally ear-splitting, very high decibel tones and noise beams of up to 150 dBSPL. In some cases however, targetted people too close to the system can suffer permanent hearing disability.

The Indian Navy has acquired the system from a US firm, which holds its patent, particularly because of its operations in the Arabian Sea where pirates from East African countries are increasingly holding commercial ships to ransom.

The Indian Navy has a policy not to inflict violent attacks on the pirates unless they fire or attack an Indian ship. Accordingly, said the sources, it was considered prudent to install the LRAD not only because it can cause intense pain without killing but also because it can translate warnings automatically in to 10 or more languages.

The system is a regular feature on most of the US and western naval ships as well as those of China and the Gulf countries operating in the area.

US ships do not allow unknown vessels to come near them, and if they do not respond to warning over radio, LRAD is used to warn them three km away with directed sound and voice beams. Hostile vessels of course are engaged immediately either through patrol boats or helicopters. LRAD was in fact developed after the terror attack on USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, in which a hostile vessel rammed into the warship and damaged it, also killing some personnel.

According to the manufacturer, the system is portable, comes in many sizes and requirements, and can be installed on any platform, from police vehicles to strategic buildings and ships. Police forces in the US and many countries use it for crowd control.