Iran to use speedboats to attack the US 5th fleet?

[Smiler.]

Reading this, what are they thinking - pack it full of explosives & suicide?

Telegraph said:

The naval port is home to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Navy (IRGN), who hope the Bradstone Challenger’s record-beating speed will prove decisive in any military engagement with American and Royal Navy warships in the Persian Gulf.

Surely a surface to surface missile could deal with it?

[Hugo a Gogo]

but if there are 200 of them...

[Boatbuoy]

A few Harriers could deal with.... oh, wait a minute!

[TimJMS]

Hugo a Gogo said:

but if there are 200 of them...

Phalanx?

[Mr E]

Smiler. said:

Surely a surface to surface missile could deal with it?

Indeed yes. Could it deal with 80 of them at the same time?

[Bluetoo]

might need to deploy a flight or 2 of Apaches to deal with that sort of threat, the fast boat's speed easily neutralised then the Apaches' Target aquisition abilites would easily 'deal' with the rest of the threat, all one would need would be a suitable floating platform for them which the 5th fleet has readily to hand.

Would still be a interesting contest which might still result in a loss of one big ship in a get lucky attack but if there were Apaches, plus Phalanx and assorted other naval gunnery, it would only be a one time trick that might invite more robust follow through response as a result,

Iranian sabre in poor fitting scabbard I think (and hope)

[Munter]

How to defeat an attack by a large number of small but fast boats?

A circle of flame? Loads of mines? A large net? An RPG for every member of the crew?

[Simpo Two]

Don't wait for them to attack, bomb/destroy the base before they leave.

[Hugo a Gogo]

why stop there, nuke every other country in the world (from orbit), just to be sure

[Simpo Two]

Oh dear.

If your aerial reconnaisance reveals a harbour full of Iranian suicide boats, do you:

1) Wait until they attack and probably sink some of your ships and kill hundreds of your men

or

b) Destroy them in port, thereby saving all your ships and men

?

[Hugo a Gogo]

ok, Iran's surveillance reveals the presence of the US 5th fleet

you are saying they should attack?

[Smiler.]

So a bit of a non-story then?

Anyway, judging by what I saw in the ME, the equivalent marine craft would be a jet ski with a passenger standing firing an AK-47.

[tonyvid]

Swarming small fast boats is something under a lot of study, especially amongst cluttered near-shore locations where other boat are fishing etc and radars are hampered by shore returns.

There are a few clips on youtube if you hunt around and they also have some funny half boat/half aircraft things.

This should keep you quiet for a while(1st half at least...)
http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA488748&...

[Use Psychology]

Munter said:

How to defeat an attack by a large number of small but fast boats?

A circle of flame? Loads of mines? A large net? An RPG for every member of the crew?

have a read of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Challenge_...

the small boat thing is a viable threat imo.

edited to expand:

I love the millenium challenge thing, the US organises a $250m joint forces war sim, run in real life and on computers. the retired guy they use to command the baddies uses his head and subverts the technology the good guys have. he then 'destroys' a huge amount of the goodies fleet on the 2nd day of the excercise. the people in charge say 'that's not fair' and stop the excercise and bring all the dead goodies back to life. and then they force the baddies to do stupid things and prevent them from using certain weapons. commanders of the baddies quits because he thought the idea was to beat the goodies.

bit of a pointless excerise imo...

Edited by Use Psychology on Monday 20th August 14:53

[Simpo Two]

Hugo a Gogo said:

ok, Iran's surveillance reveals the presence of the US 5th fleet

you are saying they should attack?

What would you do?

I'd take the view that the opponent is about 1,000x more powerful and wind my neck in.

[Use Psychology]

i bet i could fire an rpg while jet skiing.

[Zaxxon]

Use Psychology said:

i bet i could fire an rpg while jet skiing.

Yes you could, but it would go nowhere near the target.

[Munter]

Use Psychology said:

i bet i could fire an rpg while jet skiing.

Me too. I wouldn't like to take any bets on accuracy. But I'm sure I'd be able to give it a damn good firing.

[Hugo a Gogo]

Simpo Two said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

ok, Iran's surveillance reveals the presence of the US 5th fleet

you are saying they should attack?

What would you do?

I'd take the view that the opponent is about 1,000x more powerful and wind my neck in.

even at the point where they attack you?

surely Iran has as much right to have a defensive force as any other country

anyone using 'first strike' would be in the wrong

[Use Psychology]

if you can't hit a battleship there's not much hope for you really, is there?