I like classic grape shot better. Like the Army's 120mm shotgun round w. 10mm tungsten balls. Its quite effective.
Posted on 10/17/2008 1:28:46 PM PDT by mojito
The prospect of a U.S. or Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities has conjured up a variety of dire scenarios: a stratospheric rise in oil prices, further radicalization across Middle East, and the resumption of mass bloodshed in Iraq, as Teheran unleashes its terrorist agents there. But all this talk of catastrophe still gives short shrift to one of the gravest potential threats: Iranian attacks on shipping in the Persian Gulf.
Iran is bringing 21st century warfare to the seas by planning small-boat suicide attacks that would resemble in some ways the aerial and naval suicide missions launched by Imperial Japan during its last desperate days in the Second World War. At the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, the Japanese mixed unconventional and conventional tactics to kill 12,000 Americans and wound more than 33,000. Iran, by contrast, is threatening a purely unconventional naval war, including attacks on U.S. military targets and on international maritime traffic. Oil prices would spike, and Iran would enjoy a long-term profit, even if it temporarily could not export its own oil....
The Persian Gulf possesses 55 percent of the world’s crude oil reserves. Iran dominates the whole Gulf, from the Shatt al Arab on its Iraqi border to the Strait of Hormuz 615 miles away. Deployed from this immense seaboard are the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, or IRGCN. U.S. Navy officers told me they have had civil encounters at sea with the regular Iranian navy, but not with the IRGCN. The IRGCN is a fully mechanized terrorist force. Although it is the unconventional offshoot of the regular navy, it is actually slightly larger than its parent, with 20,000 reportedly heavily-ideological sailors. It promises an unprecedented fusion of a modern military with sea-based asymmetric force.
(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...
Might be an awfully long "temporary", with the port facilities and pipelines all blown to hell and gone, along with their meager refining facilities, the bridges all their major rivers, and those big holes in the ground where the entrances to their nuclear facilities used to be.
Of course Ahmadidijab and his Mullah Masters don't really care about that, they just want the Hidden Imam to reveal himself, which they think he will if they can set off Armageddon.
I like classic grape shot better. Like the Army's 120mm shotgun round w. 10mm tungsten balls. Its quite effective.
I like that round too. but the Navy only has 5 Inchers which is about 127 MM, I would want the bugger rattlin it’s way down the tube..(8^)
No one wants war, but a war with Iran would not end well for them. They bluff and bluster like Saddam, but their economy (and society) is in shambles.
As Iraq has shown, the US Military can easily distinguish, track and destroy any moving target, from a passenger car to a tank. Even more so on the sea, where there are few civilians to worry about. Iran may achieve a successful initial attack on a US ship, but otherwise, the confrontation would be short, sharp, and they would get pummeled badly. After this “terror boat” strategy quickly reaches its end-game, they would be open to any attack the US wants to make.
Suicide attacks are an admission of defeat and helplessness. The US needed to occupy Okinawa and drive every Japanese soldier from every cave. That is where the casualties occurred.
This is also why Iran seeks an atomic weapon. It is relatively cheap and easy-to-use deterrent. It is really their last, best hope in any conflict. That’s why they must not be allowed to get it.
This is just another “pre-emptive” bit of scare tactics from a far-left press. They do this any time there’s even the remotest chance of the US military doing anything anywhere. I’m sure you can find one regarding how the crack Cuban military were gonna crush us and inflict 1000s of casualties if we dared to invade Grenada.
Very simply put, it’s a philosophy of “if something might be hard—let’s not try it”. The very least question that this kind of attitude immediately brings to mind is: what kind of attitude is that? A loser’s attitude, that’s what.
Oh?
From the article...
The Cole was at anchor and at a minimum state of readiness. In the next Gulf war, our ships will be moving and on high alert. And the Aegis system is designed to shoot over the horizon at multiple attackers. Swarming small boats might turn out to be an unnerving nuisance, rather than a pivotal threat, somewhat like the attacks from small trucks of the Fedayeen Saddam on U.S. ground forces en route to Baghdad in 2003.I suppose we should just put our heads in the sand and not ever consider possibilities. After all, Iraq is going to cost only $50-60 billion and we'll make it up in oil revenues after we're welcomed as liberators, right?
I know, I know...I dared break the new FR "knee-jerk only" policy.
Huh?
This is from The Atlantic, and is written by Kaplan, whom Noam Chomsky called an "ultra-right wing jingoist!"
Very simply put, it’s a philosophy of “if something might be hard—let’s not try it”.
Let me guess...you didn't read the whole article.
If they could make some of those in 16 inch rounds and take a battleship or two over there it would be interesting.
Also would be interesting to see the Iranians suicide boats try to blow a hole in the 12 inch armor on the side of the Battleships.
They have one refinery. If it is knocked out, big problems for them.
They can sell all the crude they want, but they need gas.
They are trying to switch to LPG for transportation, but they are not there yet.
They won’t be able to function after a month or two if they lose refinery ability.
IMHO
This is FR, I'm not an idiot. The idea would be to create a similar round for the 5". Because of the rifling it would need to have a free rotating band, otherwise it would disperse far too rapidly. At 5000 fps the 10mm tungsten balls can knock an engine block off its mounts at half a mile. The fight against small boats is primarily an anti-personnel weaponeering problem. Those tungsten balls would make instant colanders out of any fiberglass boat and kill the crew. No muss, no fuss. On a side note, I'm not sure why the Navy hasn't yet embraced smooth bore guns with their higher velocities and modern finned ammunition. Still trying to make the jump to rail guns I guess.
Did you forget your sarc tag? To Noam Chomsky, everyone is a far-right jingoist.
The left cranks up the anti-war propaganda whenever they think there might be action. “Oh, stuff might get blown up and a brazillion body bags will come home, oh, let’s surrender!”
I’m surprised that wasn’t mentioned earlier. Still, why do you think this is anti-war propaganda?!?
*Still, why do you think this is anti-war propaganda?!?*
Because it’s in The Atlantic.
October Surprise? I hardly think so.
Kaplan is not far left
“I think our Naval officers in the Gulf know more about the Iranians than Kaplan suggests. “
I think Kaplan knows more about the Iranians than Kaplan suggests. ;~ )
Argh...how hard is this for everyone to understand. The Atlantic is a hard-left journal. They might print something by a right-thinking author, but they print it to serve their purpose.
Clear enough?
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