Iran Possibly Preparing Kamikaze Boats

[Sir Winston Churchill]

MANAMA (Reuters) - Iran has built up its naval forces in the Gulf and prepared boats that could be used in suicide attacks, but the U.S. Navy can prevent it from blocking the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of U.S. naval forces in the region said on Sunday.
Iran has made a series of threats in recent weeks to disrupt shipping in the Gulf or strike U.S. forces in retaliation if its oil trade is shut down by sanctions, or if its disputed nuclear program comes under attack.
"They have increased the number of submarines ... they increased the number of fast attack craft," Vice Admiral Mark Fox told reporters. "Some of the small boats have been outfitted with a large warhead that could be used as a suicide explosive device. The Iranians have a large mine inventory."

If this is true, then things are going to get very interesting in the 2010's. Greece in turmoil, war in the Middle East, but this time an actual full-scale war. Maybe Dec. 21, 2012 is true.

[nein]

we need the fight to spill into the valley of armageddon so that the rapture can take place

[magpie]

What next! Water ski suicide bomber,s?

[Markas]

What next! Water ski suicide bomber,s?

ALLAHU AKBAR! WE A HAVE A SHAPED CHARGE NOW INFIDEL!!!

Better be careful with those carriers, yanks...

[Condottiere 40K]

They could take a page from the drug traffickers and build submersibles; Chavez would be delighted to hand over some blueprints, possibly even working models.

[Sarissofoi]

It isnt that stupid as you think.
If Iran will fight on the sea it will be asemetrical warfare coz they cant fight USA Navy in open fight and not be destroyed.

[Nevins]

It isnt that stupid as you think.
If Iran will fight on the sea it will be asemetrical warfare coz they cant fight USA Navy in open fight and not be destroyed.

No, its just stupid. Throwing our buzzwords like asymmetrical warfare doesn't change that.

[Rolling Thunder]

No, its just stupid. Throwing our buzzwords like asymmetrical warfare doesn't change that.

How can you fight an asymmetric conflict on water? Isn't that just commerce raiding?

[Axeman]

How can you fight an asymmetric conflict on water? Isn't that just commerce raiding?

The same way you fight it on the land. The inherent problem with asymmetrical warfare on the seas is the fact that it requires conventional elements to operate. A guerrilla army on the ground can pretty much be nomadic and forge off of the land. You cannot do that on the water. The closest analogy I can think of to even remotely "successful" would be , like mentioned earlier, commerce raiders and submarines during the World Wars. In both examples we can see that you need a MASSIVE conventional commitment to even commit to an INDIRECT style of warfare. Iran is trying to get a bang for its buck. It does not have the ability to sorty out against the American Navy and it knows its best bet is to try to close Hormuz and have a bunch of speedboats with RPGs hopefully get a few lucky hits against American ships on the peripherary.

All of that said Iran cannot hope to do it very well. With an exceptionally well planned first strike it MIGHT be able to shut off Hormuz with some hair-brained scheme like sinking its conventional navy in the straits, but the fact that Iran's "irregular" navy requires a safe base of operations is what will be its downfall. A navy is only as useful so long as its base of operations is.

[DisgruntledGoat]

How can you fight an asymmetric conflict on water? Isn't that just commerce raiding?

no, asymmetrical warfare is simply when one combatant is clearly inferior to the other and requires methods other than conventional methods to fight. So in this case, using suicide tactics would be one aspect of asymmetrical warfare.

That being said, saying it will be asymmetrical and that some how means that the Iranians in tricked out speed boats has any chance against a US carrier group, let alone two or three, is hilarious. If they are lucky enough to surprise one of the carrier escorts that would be one thing (forget about getting close to the carriers btw), the next Iranian ship would then be instantly evaporated when it gets too close.

[John ''True Grit'' Wayne]

I heard they are training birds to fly into the engines of passenger airline planes.

[hellheaven1987]

I heard they are training birds to fly into the engines of passenger airline planes.

Remind me US's firebat plan during WWII.

[s.rwitt]

They've been doing this for years. They seem to think they can take out our carriers with these sped boat swarm attacks. As usual, they're delusional.

[Treize]

They've been doing this for years. They seem to think they can take out our carriers with these sped boat swarm attacks. As usual, they're delusional.

They just need a sub.

[HissingNewt]

I'm not sure Iran understands what destroyers are for in carrier groups.

[mrmouth]

There is video of them in their patrol boats surfing the wake of a carrier very recently. They routinely push their luck by harassing US ships. They are warned and continue with their childish BS.

After the Cole, we take this very seriously. If one of those idiots were to lose control, etc, it could be a problem. Given all the crap recently, you'd think they might just knock off the stupidity for the short term.

Slightly OT, but this is crazy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4jQh...eature=related comments are typical...

[Påsan]

I'm not sure Iran understands what destroyers are for in carrier groups.

Destroying stuff?

[white-wolf]

What Iran does not have is modern weapons to fight with USA.

What Iran does have are the people who can attack regardless of their lives.

Do you remember the (weaponless) Iranians' hopeless suicide attacks to Iraq troops which were backed by Gulf countries and the West, in order to stop Iraqi invaision?

[Xanthippus of Sparta]

Not unprecedented.

This reminds me of WWII Japanese Shinyo suicide boats, the ends were packed with explosives.



Top; a typical one-man Shinyo. Bottom; a commander's two-man Shinyo...the officer would cover his men with the 13.2mm HMG before his own run.

They were mostly used aganist landing forces; especially LCIs and LCS support ships.

[Stívarðr Reynitré]

I'm bored of miscreant inbreds ruling the world...

It is amazing we haven't all been wiped out already.