Iran's New Sooper Weapon

Iran decided to demonstrate its new naval super weapon. A new and improved.....speedboat. Iran has acquired the 82 mph Bradstone Challenger aka the Blade Runner 51. Guaranteed to strike fear into any unarmed tanker or moored hulk. (emphasis below added.)

April 22: Iranian boats take part in naval war game in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz southern Iran. Iran's Revolutionary Guards successfully deployed a new speed boat capable of destroying enemy ships as war games began on Thursday in a waterway crucial for global oil supplies, Iranian media reported.

Source: REUTERS/Fars News

"deployed a new speed boat capable of destroying enemy ships "

A speed boat capable of destroying a ship.......their quote. Perhaps they tow suicide bombers on "close, inshore, recon platforms" aka skis......

Swarms of ATGM (Anti-TANK Guided Missile) armed speed boats can be considered a threat. A threat to lightly armed ships. While tactics of swarming small boats against larger boats can be effective against single ships, US tactics and capabilities have been developed to handle these......ski boats. ATGM's are not very effective against ships, much less modern warships. And getting close enough to attack any ship capable of fighting back at that range.........well, let's just say that getting that close will take cast iron cojones......

The above picture is labeled, at FoxNews, at their photo story as "Sinking Target."

Ummmm, no so much..... it appears. Maybe after they open the sea cocks.....

From the Christian Science Monitor:

“The most important message from the exercises in the face of American nuclear threats is that we will strongly resist them,” said Ali Shirazi, the representative of Ayatollah Khamenei to Revolutionary Guard naval forces, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA.

Resist nuclear threats ......... with speed boats........okaaaaayy......

Military spokesman Ali Reza Tangsiri said the new “Ya Mahdi” attack boat – named after the Shiite Muslim messiah who is expected to one day return and bring universal justice – was “less detectable by radar” because of its “high speed.”

High speed makes a boat less detectable by radar? Why didn't we think of that? Oh, wait! CVN's travel at 45+ (classified) knots. The faster they go, the less detectable they'll be!

All joking aside, swarms of boats and combined air and land based missile attacks, used intelligently can win against a technologically superior force. Used intelligently.......

While the exercise did utilize 300 speed boats and air and land forces, if their spokesman's statement above demonstrates the depth of knowledge available........do the words, "turkey shoot" have any meaning for you?

Ares, a defense technology blog, mentions that the new boat may be able to utilize the Iranian version of the Shkval super cavitation torpedo, called the Hoot. However, the torpedo seems to have only been test fired against a "dummy submarine."

Let it be known that the Russians have had trouble with the Shkval. The Kursk disaster was caused by the weapon's fuel causing an large explosion, sinking the submarine

But, they do look like they're having fun.