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Iran's Arsenal Of Sunburn Missiles Is More Than Enough To Close The Strait
Business Insider ^ | 2/8/12 | Russ Winter

Posted on 02/12/2012 6:52:24 AM PST by Track9

Any good armchair general with a good search engine and time on their hands can figure out in a hurry that the song and dance about Iran being unable to close the Strait if Hormuz for long is just a plain crock. Worse than a crock. Yet, this big Orwellian lie persists, so once again I have to set the record straight. Iran has the capability of not only closing the Strait for some time, but creating a world of hurt for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.

Iran possesses a build up of anti-ship weapons called Sunburn missiles, which it has procured from Russia and China over the last decade. These are top-notch weapons developed by the Russians as a low-cost challenge to the expensive, tech-heavy weaponry of the U.S., and specifically the aircraft carrier task force. A conflict, which I now assign a high probability to [see Scenario for an Israel Attack on Iran], is going to be a huge test of a global-naval doctrine that Russia and China will watch with tremendous interest. That’s why I think they have armed Iran to the teeth. The big question: How many of these weapons does Iran have? I would suggest thousands, and that this is the real show.

(Excerpt) Read more at articles.businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: ahmedsabatgold; bombbombbombbombiran; iran; iranianmissiles; iranvenezuelaaxis; israel; missilecrisis; missiles; mullahcracy; russia; suezcanal; waronterror
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1 posted on 02/12/2012 6:52:29 AM PST by Track9
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To: Track9
"Russ, you ignorant slut"... Yes, maybe Iran COULD shut down the Strait for a few days... now tell me how they deal with the aftermath. Multiple carrier groups coming into the region, the US ramping up tank divisions in Iraq, waves of bombers coming in from multiple directions, large percentages of younger Iranians who want democratic changes helping out US Special Forces teams, etc etc etc.

But yes, they can crow about closing an important waterway for a few days... as long as they don't mind the massive consequences, the regime change, and the reputation for bringing back the US Armed Forces into the region.

2 posted on 02/12/2012 6:57:14 AM PST by Teacher317 ('Tis time to fear when tyrants seem to kiss.)
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To: Track9; Ernest_at_the_Beach; F15Eagle; GOPJ; Munz; Quix; SandRat; SJackson; SolidWood
Sunburn

Don't forget about the "Hoot"
3 posted on 02/12/2012 6:58:38 AM PST by Perdogg
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To: Teacher317

Assume the US knows where the missiles are.


4 posted on 02/12/2012 6:59:35 AM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Beware the Sweater Vest)
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To: Teacher317

That was about my reaction. Not likely Iranian threats would last to long.


5 posted on 02/12/2012 7:02:28 AM PST by Track9 ("Strength through peace.. oh wait, I mean" Mit Romney)
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To: Teacher317
But yes, they can crow about closing an important waterway for a few days...

Keep in mind we have the "negotiator" in chief who very well could try and talk them into opening it up again.

THAT could take a few years....

6 posted on 02/12/2012 7:08:46 AM PST by EGPWS (Trust in God, question everyone else)
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To: Teacher317
"Russ, you ignorant slut"...

No kidding. First, there's no indication that these things are land-based (like Silkworms are). They're either ship/sub-launched, or air-launched.

So they need to get the shooting platforms into range of our CSGs. Not going to happen.

Back in the 1980s PBS did a really great NOVA episode called "The Battle for the Norwegian Sea". Basically a hit piece on the Reagan buildup and the emphasis on big-deck carriers. They interviewed John Lehman, then SecNav, and he pretty much destroyed the critics by pointing out that all their analyses were based on the assumption that the USN was going to try to sail it's carriers "up the Volga River" on the first day of a war.

Putting carriers into the Persian Gulf, or sailing them through the Straits of Taiwan are nice show-the-flag publicity moves, and in cases where we KNOW we own the pond (like Desert Storm and Iraqi freedom) prove useful for combat by shortening mission times/durations. But in a shooting war with either Iran or the ChiComs we're going to hold them back a ways and use them to reach out and touch the enemy from distance. Significant distance.
7 posted on 02/12/2012 7:10:39 AM PST by tanknetter
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To: Track9

Sounds like the horse-hockey we heard about Hussein’s much-vaunted Republican guard.

The only difference between them and the ordinary grunt soldiers is that they surrendered in a more orderly fashion.

The enemy are always 11 foot tall supermen, according to gutless wonders like the author.


8 posted on 02/12/2012 7:13:00 AM PST by Yankee (ANNOY THE RNC AND THE MEDIA: NOMINATE NEWT GINGRICH!)
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To: Track9

IF the Iranians decide to strike first, they might have a chance to get one of our surface ships. However, those ASCMs are on the priority target list, I would think, so in the event of hostilities, the Iranians would not get a shot off.


9 posted on 02/12/2012 7:21:33 AM PST by wxgesr (I want to be the first person to surf on another planet.)
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To: tanknetter

You’re right. We would not put high value assets in range. If they start hostilities, then the US Navy brings the A-game. They would come in with naval air and cruise missile strikes to take out every possible launch facility, storage facility, missile boats, missile boat bases, etc. You don’t try to shoot down hundreds of ASMs with your SAMs, you prevent those ASMs from ever getting launched.


10 posted on 02/12/2012 7:23:57 AM PST by ThunderSleeps (Stop obama now! Stop the hussein - insane agenda!)
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To: wxgesr

We could always oppose Sunburn missiles with radiation burn missiles.


11 posted on 02/12/2012 7:25:04 AM PST by Venturer
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To: Teacher317

After Bandar Shapur and Qom are ashes will the missiles continue to guard the straight?


12 posted on 02/12/2012 7:27:15 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 ..... Crucifixion is coming)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

The missiles would not be the target. Qom and Bandar Shapur would be the targets.


13 posted on 02/12/2012 7:28:45 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 ..... Crucifixion is coming)
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To: Track9

The sanctions have put our foot on the economic lifeline of the crazy mullahs, our military are about an inch from their beards, Israel can never tolerate a nuclear armed Iran, China and Russia want American influence in the area to end, those big capital ships are operating not in blue water, those sailors and marines are in the narrow confines of the Persian Gulf which is not a good place for a naval fortress far from home,fortresses usually collapse when confronted with superior technology, our “allies” in the area really hate us, shooting will probably start in the spring, those anti ship missiles are lethal. Just hope Obama knows what he is doing.


14 posted on 02/12/2012 7:30:32 AM PST by allendale
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To: Track9

http://www.n2yo.com/passes/?s=38075
Click all the boxes by the detail buttons.

This satellite is passing over the US several times a day.
And of course it is what our gubmint and their gubmint say it is.
Been doing this for two weeks now.


15 posted on 02/12/2012 7:37:27 AM PST by Tigen (I shall raise you one .)
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To: Track9

What I would like to know is who would be the biggest loser if the Straight was closed, the US or Iran. We can and do source oil from many areas, and are developing our own resources again. Plus oil use is significantly dipping right now. But Iran needs the Straight open for exporting their own oil. Do they have pipelines to export without accessing the Strait? If so, those are what we need to close when they close the Straight.


16 posted on 02/12/2012 7:38:05 AM PST by Vince Ferrer
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To: allendale

fortresses usually collapse when confronted with superior technology -
And who has the superior technology? Iran? Russia? China?

Just hope Obama knows what he is doing - WOW, that is too revealing!


17 posted on 02/12/2012 7:44:47 AM PST by X-spurt
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To: Venturer

RBMs, I like the ring and level glass they leave.


18 posted on 02/12/2012 7:44:53 AM PST by mcshot (Voter fraud will be the doom of the Republic as desired by the Lib Dems.)
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To: Teacher317

Why do you think Iraq will let us bring in tank divisions to fight Iran?


19 posted on 02/12/2012 7:45:51 AM PST by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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To: Track9
Could Iran close the straits?

If there goal is to close the straits to merchant shipping, of course they can. All they need do is sink a single merchant ship. And do that from a portable shore-to-ship missile launcher. The kind you can transport on the back of a flatbed truck.

Iran could even do that in such a way as to make it a bit tough to ID who actually fired the missile.

No need to target the US Navy, just sink a merchant ship or two.

Then the straits would close. Because the insurance costs would be prohibitive for any ship to continue sailing there.

Now, would that be to Iran's advantage? That's another story.

20 posted on 02/12/2012 7:55:15 AM PST by Leaning Right (Why am I carrying this lantern? you ask. I am looking for the next Reagan.)
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