Iran’s Claimed 112 New Naval Vessels Demystified

Iran’s Claimed 112 New Naval Vessels Demystified
Iran’s Claimed 112 New Naval Vessels Demystified

 

 

The first observation is that there were possibly only 100 vessels on display. At least there were only 99 on the parade ground, plus one more in the water .

 

The craft included 9 missile boats. These were made up of four Chinese-designed ‘C-14’ catamarans and one North Korean-derived ‘Zolfaqhar,’ plus four of a new type. The new model is very similar to the Zolfaqhar but smaller in every respect. All of these types carry light anti-ship missiles and are much smaller than the equivalent boats in other countries. This emphasizes swarm tactics and action against civilian targets such as tankers.

 

The most significant new type is actually a single prototype of a robotic mini-sub. This is termed an Extra-Large Uncrewed Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV) in Navy parlance. It is much larger than most UUVs in service worldwide although similar to the latest Boeing Orca XLUUV entering service with the U.S. Navy, and Manta entering service with the Royal Navy.

 

It is almost certainly considerably less advanced than either of those projects, but that might be a strength as well as a weakness. Having XLUUVs could pave the way for the IRGC to gain new ways to conduct covert operations in the Persian Gulf.

 

Other unusual underwater craft on display were two swimmer delivery vehicles (SDVs). These are wet submarines meaning that the crew has to wear diving gear to operate them. In some respects there are similar to the SEAL Delivery Vehicles in service with the U.S. Navy SEALs, but much less capable.

 

The IRGC-N model is actually a smaller version of the Al-Sabehat 15 SDV which in service with the Iranian SBS (Special Boat Service). Like most of the types displayed, it is actually not new.

 

There were a total of 38 gunboats with multiple-launch rockets. The tactic would be to drive alongside a tanker and fire them into the superstructure. Some of the RIBs also had rocket launchers. And there were 10 smaller interceptor boats armed only with machine guns.

 

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Also Read: Iran’s regime further digs its hands into the people’s pockets

 

 

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