Posted on 04/02/2006 8:09:45 AM PDT by Flavius
TEHRAN, Iran - Iran announced its second major missile test in a week, saying Sunday it has successfully fired a high-speed underwater missile capable of destroying huge warships and submarines. ADVERTISEMENT click here
The Iranian-made missile has a speed of 223 mph underwater, Gen. Ali Fadavi, deputy head of the Navy of the elite Revolutionary Guards, said.
He called it the fastest underwater missile in the world — but it has the same speed as the Russian-made VA-111 Shkval, developed in 1995 and believed to be the world's fastest, three or four times faster than a torpedo.
It was not immediately known if the Iranian missile, which has not yet been named, was based on the Shkval, or if it can carry a nuclear warhead.
"It has a very powerful warhead designed to hit big submarines. Even if enemy warship sensors identify the missile, no warship can escape from this missile because of its high speed," Fadavi told state-run television.
The missile test was conducted during the third day of large-scale military maneuvers by tens of thousands of the elite Revolutionary Guards in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.
Iran on Friday test-fired the Fajr-3 missile, which can avoid radars and hit several targets simultaneously using multiple warheads. The Guards said the test was successful.
The missile tests and war games coincide with increasing tension between Iran and the West over Tehran's controversial nuclear program.
The United States and its allies believe Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Tehran denies that, saying its program is for generating electricity.
The U.N. Security Council has demanded that Iran halt its uranium enrichment activities. But Tehran said its activities are "not reversible."
Iran launched an arms development program during its 1980-88 war with Iraq to compensate for a U.S. weapons embargo. Since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and a fighter plane.
I don't think the warhead is nuke.
By hitting it's target at somewhere between 100-200 mph, with a shaped-charge design to the warhead itself, the damage to a sub would be devastating.
Wondering in writing if we have done much work at all on torpedoes or countermeasures.
They probably aren't worried about having a surprise-attack advantage. Rather, they are puffing-up their image, like a small animal confronted by a large predator, trying to deter an attack they cannot possibly survive... IMHO
"Why would the Iranians let us know they have it. "
Why would they let you know? The Public?
The intelligence department already knows. Why do you think the President is so busy with Iran?
Iran wants to prove they have superior weapons to gain the support of the Islamic movement.
Their President talks with Allah, don't ya know? : )
"That takes the element of surprise away. "
With these torpedoes, surprise is not an issue.
They could broadcast each launch to the enemy and it wouldn't affect a thing.
What we need is the same torpedoes but have them home on another torpedo.
This qualifies for preemptive action since Iran is incapable of possessing weapons of this nature and worse without launching them at anyone who looks at them cross-eyed. Extortion's fun at first, but the thrill soon palls, and they'll take out a US aircraft carrier and Israel...just for the heck of it. We can't let that happen.
You would be surprised at the things we 'have'.
We have killer satellites that can destroy other satellites.
The Russians had them first. We had to catch up. They use a Neutron Beam weapon. I watched the demo. It was done over the US, just to throw it in our face. Most of the public knows nothing of this. It happened 25 years ago.
Yes you definately would be greatly surprised at what we do have and even more so at some of the things on the drawing boards/prototype development.
I think it can be confirmed.
I am thinking a directed EMT burst underwater would be a good defensive tool.
There are no evident countermeasures to such a weapon
When in supervcavitation, the Shkval is guided not too differently from WWI era torpedoes plus, it makes one hell of a noise. Conventional anti-torpedo torpedoes could and probably have been modified to proceed to a point where an improved Shkval is expected to slow down from supercavitation in order to "take a look around" That's where they should be able to get it.
Another possibility is to draw on the WWII era Hedgehogs. A lot of bomblets, fired into the Shkvals path may do the trick.
In the meantime, ASW teams should have a pretty good idea where to look for the enemy sub.
Noise? Did anyone say this thing might be noisy? A suicide weapon for the sub that gets close enough to a battle group to launch it. Of course, such prospect of suicide must excite the iranians.
I wonder how well it can maneuver? at 200 mph any underwater turn might shake the thing apart.
I can't for the life of me understand how the Shkval or the like actually works. I know that HP air comes out of the nose and provides a slippery envelope around the missile, granted. That much I can understand. But the fact is, this thing must displace or quickly move aside a large volume of water as it passes through. Water is very heavy and has a lot of mass and inertia, not to mention resisting as heavy drag from the direct front. No matter now slippery you make the bubble, something has to do a heck of a lot of work to displace water aside at over 200 MPH. I don't see the free lunch here, physically speaking. This seems a lot like the perpetual motion machine...
FNC showing video released by Iran of the torpedo being launched - interesting notably large (and oddly wide) charge of froth right at the launch point. Does the torpedo create that itself, or is it a pattern created to prep the water for the torpedo to start off?
Wonder in their bravado, whether they've given away any useful information our good guys can work with, in that video. :)
(anyone here in that category, might take a look)
Just an observation, from a non-military civilian dude. Probably nothing.
Ping!
OUCH! :)
Well, that's true. That's why this rocket is going "only" 200 mph instead of the 5,000 - 10,000 it would in air.
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