US noticing qualitative shift in military doctrine of Iranian Navy
3 Min Read
The Americans are watching with great interest Iran's construction of a new class of warships at a shipyard in Bushehr.
-
Martyr Soleimani-class missile corvette under construction
US interest in Iran's naval capabilities has increased recently, given the need for the Americans to ensure their operations with allies in more than one maritime spot in the Middle East and to protect the waterways that provide transportation of energy supplies off the coast of West Asia.
Military experts in the United States view the Iranian naval capabilities with great concern, especially since the Islamic Revolution's Guards Corps in particular is building non-conventional capabilities in the field of manufacturing countless small and medium boats equipped with missiles and torpedoes and are capable of deploying naval mines, as well as launching drones and conducting offensive operations against various hostile naval vessels of larger sizes, including giant aircraft carriers.
In this context, a report issued by the US Navy revealed that Iran is making an attack boat that is invisible to radars. Commercial satellite images of a shipyard on Qeshm Island showed a modern hull of what looked like a modern missile boat.
According to the photos obtained by the US Navy, the stealth boat appears alongside another vessel believed to be of the Martyr Soleimani-class missile corvette revealed by the Iranian Navy a while ago. Iranian engineers seem to be making a new 14-meter-wide vessel.
The US Navy was unable to determine the type of the observed vessel, as it lacks a helipad, as is the case with all classes of Iranian Shahid Soleimani-class boats, but it noticed a missile platform on the back deck of the boat, likely to be dedicated to Noor or Qader cruise missiles. The anti-ship missile is the Iranian equivalent of the famous C-802 missile.
The US Navy suggested that the new boat would be intended for the IRGC, due to the shape of the hull, which suggests its speed (due to the absence of sharp angles); It is likely that it will be used in the asymmetric operations that the guards have mastered.
The Martyr Soleimani-class naval vessels have not entered active service in the Iranian army or the IRGC, but work is underway to develop three different types of these fast corvettes designed to avoid radar.
The Americans monitored with great interest Iran's construction of a new class of warships about a year ago at a shipyard in Bushehr, a second in Bandar Abbas, and a third in Qeshm, where the Americans believe that Iran is building modern submarines.
In addition to the information that the Americans deduced from satellite images, it is certain that the new boats will also be able to participate in the Islamic Republic's air defense activities when needed, which many analysts saw as a shift in the Iranian navy's military doctrine.
The IRGC has always relied specifically on small-sized boats in their operations in the Gulf waters, but the size, specifications, and armaments of modern boats indicate an important development in building a local naval force.
