In 2008 the target ship managed to beat off a pirate assault half the time.

ECONOMIST: Piracy

It is a system that works pretty well if the target ship is paying attention and can notify the navy in time and get all of the crew under cover.

FORBES: How Is The Shipping Industry "Pirate Proofing" Their Fleets?

Because the operators do not need to keep pointing a laser at the target, they can fire several missiles in quick succession a useful feature if a ship is being attacked by a swarm of boats.

ECONOMIST: Cheap smart weapons