Shoulder-Fired Portable Entanglement Net (PEN)
Abstract
The USCG requires a portable, non-lethal system for interdicting non-compliant propeller-driven watercraft. This report presents a system designed to disable propeller-driven watercraft by means of entanglement, and evaluates the use of a commercially available, line-throwing appliance to deploy this system. A variety of evolving entanglement payloads were tested by deploying the payloads across the path of propeller-powered boats at speeds up to 35 mph. Of the entanglement designs tested, the preferred design had an interdiction success rate of 100 percent when deployed against propeller-driven craft with engines up to 115 in hp, at speeds up to 35 mph. The preferred entanglement system might be successfully deployed using an existing, commercially available, line-throwing appliance. Performance of the launching system might be enhanced by using prototype projectiles. The portable entanglement net (PEN) system developed under this contract has proven to be highly successful against most outboard-powered craft. Further work is needed to develop more-robust entanglers and more-powerful launchers for defeating higher-powered outboards, inboard/outboards, and direct-drive craft.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- AD1210563
Entities
People
- Jim Fitzmaurice