Iran-made sub ready for launch

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Iran-made sub ready for launch
Sun, 25 Nov 2007 11:57:50
http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=32 ... =351020101

Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has announced that a submarine manufactured in Iran will soon be launched.

“The domestically-manufactured submarine will be launched on Wednesday,” Sayyari announced at a press conference on Saturday, without going into further details about its features.

He also said that a destroyer named Jamaran is being manufactured in Iran, adding it would be far more powerful than the similar models built prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The Iranian Navy has been successfully restoring weaponry and equipment that had been damaged during the Iraq-imposed war of 1980-88, Sayyari noted.

"Vessels used during the war have now been equipped with the latest gear and weaponry. Domestic production has succeeded in meeting the navy's defensive needs, both above and underwater," he said.

The navy is monitoring all enemy moves and is ready to respond to any threat, the rear admiral said.

Commenting on the possibility of closing off the Strait of Hormuz in the event of an enemy offensive, he said, “We are ready to carry out all necessary operations to safeguard our national interests."

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Iran: Tehran's New Toy
November 27,

Iran: Tehran's New Toy
November 27, 2007 21 52 GMT

Photos of a surfaced Iranian Nahang class submareine and a swimmer delivery vehicle at http://www.stratfor.com/products/premiu ... ?id=298943

Summary

The Iranian navy is slated to receive a new submarine Nov. 28, according to a statement from Commander Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayari. Though the sub will add significantly to the country's small force, it probably will not fundamentally alter the security dynamic of the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysis

In addition to conducting naval maneuvers, dubbed "Etehad 86," in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz in February, Iran will receive a new submarine Nov. 28, Navy commander Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayari said Nov. 24. Probably a coastal submarine, this new toy will be a significant addition to Tehran's small force, though it likely will not fundamentally alter the security dynamic of the strait.
Like much of Iran's military, its submarine force is the subject of much secrecy and exaggeration, not to mention the occasional outlandish photo of sailors in full scuba gear standing at attention in a swimmer delivery vehicle as a truck pulls it in a military parade miles from the water. Presumably, Sayari is expecting the delivery of something a bit more militarily substantial -- but this would not be the first time an Iranian weapon system was overstated.

Iran's current force comprises three Kilo-class patrol submarines acquired from Russia in the 1990s, which the country reportedly has had some trouble adapting to the warmer water. (India has had the same problem, and Iranian training in and proficiency at the subtle tactics of submarine warfare is not thought of as impressive.) But parts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman are known to be challenging areas for anti-submarine warfare, combined with the strategic disadvantage of a choke point at the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran also operates a handful of coastal submarines -- extremely small submersibles that each displace only about 100 tons. (By comparison, the Kilo displaces more than 3,000 tons when submerged.) Two classes are known to exist: the Yono (which might have been acquired from or assembled with components from North Korea) and the Nahang. The latter was first spotted in 2006, is thought to be manufactured domestically and could still be in production -- making it the most likely candidate for the Nov. 28 delivery (assuming the Iranians are not getting a new swimmer delivery vehicle), especially since Sayari's statement indicates that the new submarine was manufactured in the country.

Little is known about these coastal subs, but their small size precludes any major weapons capacity. This is not to say they cannot wreak havoc via the judicious placement of a few mines or torpedoes, but while domestic production of a functional submarine is noteworthy, it almost certainly will be significantly hampered by the Iranians' inexperience with submarine design.

Sayari's statement also is noteworthy. He said, "We have no plans to close the Strait of Hormuz, but we are ready to carry out any operation so to guard our interests" -- clearly going out of his way to raise the specter of closing the strait, through which one-quarter of the world's total oil production passes. The current record-high oil prices hardly require mention. However, while Iran's ability to make good on this threat remains open to speculation, this is ultimately a card that carries more costs than benefits, and is one Tehran does not want to play.

Nevertheless, it is a card that Iran occasionally likes to remind the world in general -- and Washington in particular -- it holds. The next round of the country's negotiations with the United States over the fate of Iraq is approaching, and Washington's hand has been unexpectedly strengthened by some promising trends in Iraq (including movement toward a long-term bilateral agreement on permanent basing for the U.S. military). Tehran is attempting to seek out new leverage with Washington.

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Iranian sub in Persian Gulf

Iranian sub in Persian Gulf waters
Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:25:40


Iran has launched its first domestically-built submarine in the Persian Gulf waters, near the nation's southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

The light submarine, named Ghadir, is equipped with the cutting-edge military and electronic equipment.

The submarine, whose design work took a decade, was launched on Wednesday on the occasion of the National Navy Day.

Meanwhile, Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari has said Iran has high potential in manufacturing of submarines and different military and defensive equipment.

"Navy is equipped with weaponry to protect Iran's water borders," he continued.

"Iran's Navy is not a threat for regional countries and is ready to defend national interest in the wake of aggressions," Sayyari commented.

Sayyari earlier announced a destroyer dubbed Jamaran is being manufactured in Iran, adding it would be far more powerful than the similar models built prior to the 1979 Islamic Revolution.


Iran reports launching of new sub
By ALI AKBAR DAREINI

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran claimed Wednesday to have built a small submarine equipped with sonar-evading technology, saying the craft had been launched in the Persian Gulf.

The navy chief, Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, was quoted by state television as saying the new Ghadir-class submarine is the second Iranian-built underwater craft outfitted with "state-of-the-art electronic equipment." He said it took 10 years to build.

The report showed a picture of a submarine, but it was not clear that it was the Ghadir. Official media said Iran's two domestically built submarines can fire missiles and torpedoes simultaneously but gave no information on the weapons' ranges.

Iran also has three diesel-electric Russian-made submarines. The submarines, while not as sophisticated or quiet as U.S. and Russian nuclear-powered craft, could be perceived by the West as a threat to vessels in the heavily traversed waters of the Persian Gulf.

Iran has been pushing an arms-development program in recent years, producing its own jet fighters and armored vehicles and claiming to have built radar-avoiding missiles and other high-tech weapons. On Tuesday, it announced a new long-range missile.

But many of Iran's weapons-development claims have not been verified independently, and analysts are skeptical of its claims to such weapons as a superspeed torpedo and radar-evading, anti-ship missile.

Iran described the Ghadir as a "light" submarine, presumably meaning it is smaller than the attack subs used by the United States and other industrial nations.

It is named for a site in the Arabian Peninsula that is holy to Shiite Muslims, who make up the overwhelming majority of Iran's 69 million people.

Pressure has been mounting on Iran over its nuclear program, with the United States and its allies pushing for a third round of U.N. sanctions as punishment for Iran's failure to obey a Security Council demand that it suspend uranium enrichment, which some believe is intended for nuclear weapons.

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Here's some other Iranian sub

Here's some other Iranian sub info.

U.S. cruiser spots 2 Iranian subs in Gulf
http://www.navytimes.com/news/2007/11/n ... s_071129w/

By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted ] and do some patrols of the waterways,” Cox explained.

The captain said the fishermen in the region “love us.” Fishing vessels follow naval ships around for protection, Cox said.

“I just wish they’d tell al-Jazeera,” he added, referring to the pan-Arab satellite news channel based in Qatar.

Another goal of foreign naval forces in the region is building indigenous coast guard capabilities, Cox said.

He cited progress made by Combined Task Force 150, which is responsible for the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and waters off the Horn of Africa, in training and working in collaboration with the Yemeni coast guard.

Yemen is particularly concerned with human trafficking. Boats full of refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia come across the Gulf of Aden into the desert nation on the southwestern Arabian peninsula. Warships in the region report the positions of suspected vessels carrying human cargo, then the Yemenis capture the ships when they arrive in port, Cox explained.

Further, the six or seven coalition ships that patrol the area work to show presence and deter pirates, he added. However, beyond responding to calls for help, it is a difficult to task to battle pirates who stay close to territorial waters on the Somali coastline, Cox said.

Lt. John Gay, a spokesman for 5th Fleet, said that searching for pirates in the Arabian Sea is like “trying to find a needle in a haystack” and added that piracy is primarily a “law enforcement issue.”