Underwater vessels and divers pose an increasing threat for operators of ports and ships carrying sensitive cargoes; cruise ships, fuel/chemical tankers and warships. Maritime Arresting Technologies (MAT) was approached by the U.S. Navy to devise a non-lethal countermeasure that could be deployed once an underwater threat was detected. The initial brief envisaged a detection range of 500 yards for a target traveling at up to four knots. In the best possible case this gives security forces three minutes to contain the threat. The primary asset available to deploy countermeasures is a small (20-ft.) patrol boat.
Meet the Stingray Net – a quickly deployed solution that places an entanglement net across the path of the underwater threat, with the intent of the underwater target colliding with and becoming trapped in the net.
The net needed to be able to be deployed at speed and to rapidly self-set to form an impenetrable barrier form sea surface to seabed. Tests carried out by the U.S. Navy revealed that a net 200-ft. long would guarantee capture without becoming unmanageable. The net currently used is constructed from monofilament nylon making it almost invisible in the water. The key to the system is the storage box that transforms into a launcher.
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Maritime Arresting Technologies LLC