Iran Launches Submarine Production--News Int'l, Pakistan (stealth)

[Gloria]

From the new World Media Watch up now at http://www.zianet.com/insightanalytical
Tomorrow at Buzzflash.com


1//The News International, Pakistan Wednesday May 11, 2005--abi-us-Sani 02, 1426 A.H.

http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/may2005-daily/11-05-2005/world/w10.htm



IRAN LAUNCHES SUBMARINE PRODUCTION



TEHRAN: Iran on Tuesday officially launched the production of its first locally built submarine, a craft capable of operating stealthily, state-run television reported. Defence Ministry spokesman Mohammad Imani was quoted as saying "the enemy would not be able to detect the submarine."



He did not elaborate.



One submarine has apparently already been built and was shown on television on Tuesday, cruising at sea level. The Defence Ministry has commissioned an unspecified number of the craft that’s been dubbed "Ghadir." Ghadir is a site in the Arabian Peninsula that’s holy to Shias, the overwhelming majority of Iran’s 69 million people.



The submarine, which is capable of operating in the Persian Gulf and Oman seawaters, can launch both missiles and torpedoes at the same time, the television reported, without specifying the range of the projectiles.



In December, Iran announced the production of a line of stealth torpedoes that could be launched from helicopters, ships or submarines. Iranian officials have repeatedly said the Islamic Republic will defend itself should the United States or archrival Israel initiate any aggression. Pressure has mounted on Iran recently with suspicion over its nuclear program which Washington suspects is aimed at building unconventional weapons, a charge Iranian officials vehemently deny.

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[Submariner]

1. Thanks George

for making the world safer you ****ing ignorant idiot.

[jedr]

2. Shock and awe is great diplomacy ;

none of this lily-livered liberal talkin' sh*t....you're doing a great job....NOT!

[gordianot]

8. Absolutely right! It is his fault!

The Russians would love to see a war between the U.S and Iran. In the long run they win no matter the short term outcome.

Think occupation of Iraq is a nightmare? Try Iran.

[kineneb]

9. Occuping Iran would be a disaster.

And I feel really sad. How is anyone going to explain this to my Persian grandmother? I feel guilty enough about Iraq and Afganistan...but dang it all, I have relatives in Iran. This empire thing has got to stop. This country is falling apart on the inside, just as the Roman Empire did. The rot always starts from within.
:cry:

[gordianot]

11. Terribly sad.

In the 70's I never understood "out of ignorance" the reaction to America as "The Great Satan" even though I knew several Iranian students. Basically I did not understand Iranian history probably still don't. The reverse is true in Iran when their revolutionaries dealt with Republicans in the 1980 election. George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan were not even potential friends to the Iranian people and used the hostage crisis for blatant political purposes. It is one of histories greatest ironies that the decline of American democracy started with the defeat of Jimmy Carter. Carter could have been a potential friend, he has stood consistently for fair elections and Democracy his entire life. Such a waste.

[Massacure]

3. How stealth is stealth?

The U.S. has some touchy detection equipment doesn't it? I know they have gotten in trouble with environmental groups because of it...

[solinvictus]

4. Submarine stealth technology..

I think Germany's developed conventional subs that defy conventional sonar detection. They've sold them abroad, so I imagine that's where the technology originated for the Iranian boats.

[PATRICK]

5. A bluff though?

Kind of weak to be a deterrent. But if you can't see the Lt. Kije Submarine because it isn't there it might be a nagging worry.

Are they trying to lure us into a hide and seek trap? We'd go right in because we are confident in being so good. It sounds like they are trying to keep carriers at a distance from the gulf.

[Massacure]

6. Why keep carriers from the gulf?

It would be easier to just lure them into the gulf and beat the shit out of the with the Sunburn missiles Russia sold them.

Russian missile technology is at about a decade ahead of the United States.

[PATRICK]

7. I don't have a clue unless

it is for Iranian morale and to keep American gunboats away from a Gulf of Tonkin taunting and belligerent invasion of Iranian waters- where many important refineries are affected.

Piecing together all these little things could be important. Putin and Bush making Yalta style discussions about Iran, Kurds armed, etc.
Bombing, slow squeeze, destabilization, coup, quick invasion?

[true_notes]

10. The Iranians are Forming a Sub Fleet

Primarily because of our Aegis Fleet, which has AA/AM technology. The newest Aegis Technology/Weapons system can take a missile out from 2 KM, while firing 500 rounds of ammo per second. The US Navy also have a massive ASW (Anti Submarine Warfare) campaign worldwide. I believe that the Navy is either ready, or getting ready for the coming threat.

[Massacure]

17. Sunburns were specifically made to counteract AEGIS.

[NickB79]

18. The Sunburn travels at Mach 2.1 a few hundred feet above sea level

Current AM defenses are hard-pressed to take down a missile travelling at this speed and altitude. The Phalanx system on many US ships today cannot develop a firing solution from the time of detection before the missile impacts.

At Mach 2.1, it would take only 0.7 seconds for a Sunburn to go 2 kilometers. There could be no room for error in the firing solution, because there would be no time to re-target.

How many seconds does it take from acquisition to firing for a Phalanx to operate successfully? If the missile were detected when it was still 30 kilometers out, the system would still only have 10 seconds before impact.

[wuushew]

19. The weak point would probably be the radar systems

No doubt the Sunburn missile kicks ass but the distance to the horizon with radar would be under 20 miles with a small boat or ship. The longer range radars of fixed towers and aircraft could be dealt with by cruise missiles and American combat air patrols.

That is of course if we strike first. If the Iranians struck first the Persian Gulf would be a burning mess.

Maximum distance two elevated objects can see each other in nautical miles
1.15*(sqrt radar height + sqrt target height)

Nimitz carrier = 205 feet above water

Iranian radar height in feet
0 = 16 n.miles
10 = 20 n.miles
50 = 24 n. miles
100 = 27 n. miles

[DireStrike]

12. Why and how would Russian missile tech be better than US?

We do most of our fighting with missiles. We pay those fellows at Lockheed and Raytheon and Northrop lots of money to keep us in the newest toys, don't we?

[Frederik]

13. anti-ship missiles

a Russian specialty. US don't have any equivalents. Russian military technology is generally just as good as American.

[Massacure]

16. I shoulda specified cruise missiles, sorry.

The Sunburn is a anti-ship cruise missile.

[jpak]

14. Iran has been developing an asymmetric warfare capability since

US arms embargo was established.

They have purchased 3 ex-Soviet Kilo class subs (no danger here - they are currently unseaworthy and lack trained crews) and perhaps a dozen or so North Korean mini-subs.

They have (apparently) been producing home-grown wake-homing torpedoes for some time.

Small properly silenced diesel-electric subs employing anechoic tiles (which absorb sonar energy and reduce the subs "echo" signature) operating at low speeds in shallow waters would be tough to deal with...

The Revolutionary Guards also operate dozens of small surface attack craft armed with short-range anti ship missiles and torpedoes.

We'll have to wait until June to find out how effective these things are against US naval forces operating near I-ran...

[loritooker]

15. Are these the "sunburst missles" that can take anything out?

I read about Itan having these missles a few months ago. The article said that if US attacked Iran and it deployed these missles we'd be blown away.

Edit: its "sunburn missles", actually.