Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi with Zolfaqar speedboat
(Photo: AFP)
Posted on 02/06/2011 11:13:56 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Iran Seeking to Increase Speed of IRGC Vessels to 80-85 Knots
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy plans to boost the high mobility of its vessels in the next few months, the IRGC Navy commander announced on Sunday, adding that IRGC experts are working on projects to increase the speed of missile-launching and fully armed vessels to 80-85 knots.
"Increasing the speed of the vessels which carry arms and equipment to 80-85 knots sets the objective of the IRGC naval force for the next Iranian year (starts on March 21)," Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said, and stressed, "Limitations of high-speed vessels for carrying weapons should be removed."
Fadavi, who was addressing a conference at Amir Kabir University of Technology here in Tehran today, further underlined the importance of missile-launching high-speed vessels for the country's military power, reminding that Iran is the only country possessing 14-meter-long speed vessels with a maximum speed of 60 knots.
He reiterated that equipping speedboats and speed vessels with advanced weapons and equipment is of paramount and strategic importance to the IRGC Navy, and added "The IRGC naval forces have the capability to mount weapons onto high-speed vessels.
In August, Iran inaugurated the production lines for manufacturing 'Seraj 1' vessel and a new generation of 'Zolfaqar' missile launcher, both developed by the country's experts.
Also in August, the IRGC launched tens of its missile-launching speedboats in the Persian Gulf.
The speedboats in Zolfaqar, Tareq, Ashoura and Zoljanah classes were launched in a ceremony attended by Admiral Fadavi and a number of other high-ranking officials.
The Islamic Republic has mass-produced a large number of speedboats with rocket- launchers and other sophisticated military equipment which are able to strike a heavy blow at any foreign warship if the country comes under attack.
Also the IRGC has earlier announced that it is ready to deploy its submarines and combat boats to intercept vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.
The IRGC is responsible for the security of the Persian Gulf. In 2008, Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi, former commander of the IRGC and the current military advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, declared that the responsibility for defending the Persian Gulf had been handed over to the IRGC.
He warned that the IRGC would seal the strategic Strait of Hormuz in case the US launches any attack on Iran's nuclear installations.
Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi with Zolfaqar speedboat
(Photo: AFP)
The radar signature on all tha illumium must be blinding.
Yeah well... they can try bragging when they can get their *planes* up to 85 knots without nosediving in the sand ;).
That photo looks like it came from a 60’s era Bond movie.
That photo looks like it came from a 60’s era Bond movie.
Probably did. I'm pretty sure the pic of their lastest missile came off the lid of an Airfix box.
I 'spose that's doable if they have enough of them.
Once we sank them they certainly could plug the strait quite effectively.
That deck mounted MG should be real useful at 85 knots.
Do SSM launchers like that typically swivel- or is the radar and comm arrangement not long for this world?
Photograph of the new submersible (one time) patrol boat of the Iranian navy.
step bottom they are trying,That clunker is going to be a unstable, nightmare out there.
LOL...look how it is mounted, on that sloped deck. Heh, I am no small craft expert, but even if they put non-skid there, that is going to be a tough place to stand even tied up...
85 kts hooked to a C130, maybe, but not under its own power.
Seems to me the US Navy built some destroyers around WW1 that were supposed to get up to the blinding speed of 23 knots. The problem they had was by the time they got their boilers up to full steam, they didn’t have enough coal for long missions. I’m guessing that these were among the 50 we gave to Brattain and Brattain filled them with explosives and rammed them into the Nazi-captured French dry-dock facilities.
Physics comes into play here. Past some resistance point the power required to push a given hull through the water and air goes up exponentially. Can they get it to 85 knots? Probably. Would it be safe? Would it have enough range to do any damage? Could it remain on station more than a day?
Speed is only one of the many factors at play. In my humble, non-navy opinion, these people are chasing the wrong factor. Any Navy Freepers out there care to comment?
Chinese Type 025 class torpedo boat comes close, with speed of 50 knots and length of 22 meters. But it was designed in 1966, not in 2010. I'm sure Chinese would be able to get to 60 or 80 knots if they wanted to; but most countries don't have much use for such a craft; the effective range of such boats is limited. Iran, as it happens, is best served by such boats, so no surprise that they are loving them so much.
Only way they are going to do this is hydrofoils. Waterborne speed record of 1922 was about this speed with a hydrofoil.
Or hovercraft.
1 hour to cross the gulf at its widest.
But no real endurance and forget about operating at speed in choppy water.
The speed requirement will also reduce the weapons carried considerably.
This is more propaganda/prestige than practical.
Note: The missiles have the range of the SoH from port.
Been thru the SoH many times - on one side you can see Oman and on the other you can see Iran - conventional shore-based artillery has the range to cover it...
One shot expendible boats.
IRGCN
PS Only 1 DD was used on the drydock raid.
The others were convoy escorts and convoys spent most of their time at 12-15 knots...
Sort of like the 'suicide squad' from Monty Python's 'Life of Brian'-
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.