GERTZ:
NICOSIA — The Iranian Navy has focused its combat doctrine on fast attack craft.
Officials said the Navy has developed a combat doctrine based on the use of small FACs. They said Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was producing high-speed vessels for a range of operations in the Gulf.
“Speedboats proved so successful that they led to the formation of the IRGC naval force,” Iranian Defense Minister Ahmed Vahidi said. “The accomplishment also led to major changes in doctrines in different fields.”
Addressing a technology conference on Feb. 7, Vahidi said the Iranian FACs have already demonstrated their prowess in countering destroyers, aircraft carriers and other large surface vessels of the U.S. Navy. The defense minister said the Iranian speedboats also confronted U.S. submarines but did not elaborate.
Officials said IRGC has developed a so-called asymmetrical doctrine that called for a swarm of FACs to attack U.S. Navy vessels. They said many of the speedboats would be packed with explosives and ordered to ram into U.S. and Western navy targets in the Gulf.
“The issue of high-speed vessels has now turned into a crucially important topic in the world,” Vahidi said. “In the meantime, this is a very efficient, effective and low-cost operational doctrine for us.”
Western intelligence sources said IRGC developed its FAC fleet from commercial speedboats procured from the West, particularly Britain and South Africa. They said the vessels were outfitted with heavy machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and missiles.
Vahidi said the IRGC attack vessels, first deployed in the Gulf in August, could reach a speed of 70 knots per hour. He said Iran plans to increase the speed of the FACs to as much as 100 knots per hour.
“This significant event has abundant lessons and implications in strategic, operational, tactical and industrial areas and also in research and innovation,” Vahidi said.
Knots per hour.
ReplyDeleteOK then.
As I understand it, the machine guns and RPGs will be augmented by "fierce expressions of hostility and outright miffedness on the faces of the speedboat pilots".
ReplyDeleteTo counter this new threat, the US Navy plans to advise navy gunners to shoot the speedboats to shreds at a slightly greater distance thereby negating the psychological effects of intimidating facial expressions alltogether.
While this does not seem possible to be scary, we should all be aware that Thomas Frank, James Hornfisher, Samuel Morison ascribe what occurred at Sunda Strait, and Savo Island (8/8/42) to PRECISELY the attitude evident in comments so far.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Agincourt, VDH makes the same criticism of the French.
I myself have belittled the so called swarm tactics myself, but believe me when I tell you that the Iranians I know are not monors.
More, let's not forget the 3 truly silent diesel-electric kilo's, or the other tactics whose purpose is to CLOSE HORMUZ, or to drive oil prices to a point to break the western economies, and the political will of the western RISK AVERSE populations.
The Iranians from 1980-89 proved they will 'martyr' millions to gain. How many will they waste to get one Aegis Class Arleigh Burke.
Hopefully we plan to obliterate the ports.. FIRST, and mercilessly