Posted on 03/04/2016 2:48:21 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Archive photo of Navy Squadron 916. (photo credit:IDF SPOKESMAN’S UNIT)
Hamas in Gaza has received Iranian operational instructions on how to prepare swarm-like boat attacks, and is preparing such capabilities for clashes with Israel, according to a senior naval source.
The Israel Navy’s Squadron 916 of fast patrol boats, tasked with securing the coastline, is training and preparing itself for combat with Hamas, while keeping a close eye on sea movements around the Strip.
“Hamas is building up its ability to cause much damage from sea-based attacks,” the navy source told The Jerusalem Post this week.
“It is improving its diving commando units, and creating sea forces that are much more capable than they were before. Hamas has received battle doctrines from Iran – which is also building up its sea capabilities – on how to deliver ‘stings’ through swarms,” the source said. “They will try to attack our vessels with swarms.”
Hamas’s aim in any future conflict is to cause heavy damage in the opening stage, and achieve a “victory picture, even if all Hamas attackers are killed in the process. From their perspective, if the attack succeeds, they won,” the source said.
Squadron 916 has been training various techniques to prevent this. According to the source, Hamas is also expanding its frogman commando unit.
The navy has responded by planting more sonar sensors underwater, and practicing a set of fast responses for when suspicious activity has been detected under the waves.
A range of new underwater explosive fuses have been amassed on board fast patrol boats in Squadron 916.
The squadron is made up Super Dvora MK 3-class fast patrol boats (made at Israel Aerospace Industries’ Ramta plant), older Dvora-class patrol boats, Shaldag-type boats (made by Israel Shipyards), and the light Tzor’a (Wasp) Safe Boats, used mainly for port and coastal defense.
According to naval assessments, Hamas will probably soon resume its attempts to smuggle rocket-building materials from Sinai to Gaza via boats, after a pause in such efforts.
“The sea is one big blue tunnel,” the source said. “As Egypt continues demolishing tunnels between Sinai and Gaza, we expect an increase in sea smuggling attempts.”
Last year, Squadron 916 foiled a number of such efforts.When a smuggling attempt is intercepted, the navy makes every effort to avoid harming the smugglers, out of an understanding that they are often civilians exploited by Hamas, the source said.
“We fire in a way that will not kill or wound the smugglers. Often they are fishermen used by Hamas,” he said.
The squadron’s fastest boat is the Super Dvora MK 3, which can travel at nearly 90 kilometers an hour, and possesses a turning angle comparable to that of a ski jet.
The vessels have Typhoon precision cannon on their bows, an M2 Browning machine gun at their sterns and two MAG machine guns on the decks, as well as Rafael Spike MR fire-and-forget guided missiles.
Ten to 12 sailors and technicians are usually on board, with half resting, while the other half is on active duty. In emergencies, they all must reach battle stations in seconds.
The squadron’s vessels are linked in to the Ground Forces command and control systems, meaning they can work closely with ground units to strike enemy targets and share intelligence.
The squadron secures two offshore natural gas rigs, with the help of the recently arrived Rafael Protector unmanned sea vehicle.
The Protector vehicle, with its water cannon, is also used to enforce the 6-nautical-mile fishing zone off the Gazan coast.
“The future is here. The Protector can fire, it can monitor,” the source said. “If you had asked me years ago if I thought this would be plausible, I probably would not have believed it.”
In between training for battle with Hamas, the squadron’s main task continues to be to prevent terrorist infiltrations from Gaza into Israel. To that end, buffer zones exist around Gaza’s north and south coasts. The squadron closely monitors these areas.
“On average, Gaza coastal patrols last 48 hours, though we can stay at sea 96 hours if necessary. We distill seawater, turning it into drinking water. We have plenty of combat food portion storages, and a lot of fuel,” he added.
“The sailors here are under orders to be patient and civil to Palestinian fishermen who stray from the 6-mile zone,” the source said. “Most fishermen want to feed their families,” he added.
But some are terrorists disguised as fishermen, he said.
“We must be aware that every so often there are Hamas operatives, enemies, who are here, disguised as fishermen. This is how they gather intelligence on us.”
Super Dvora MK-III
90 k/hr. Yowza!
“”But some are terrorists disguised as fishermen, he said.
We must be aware that every so often there are Hamas operatives, enemies, who are here, disguised as fishermen.””
They dress up as women also. They hide behind skirts. They have no honor and will rot in hell, with 72 Virginians to make their eternity as hellacious as possible.
any threat from this swarm stuff.
read somewhere they could take down a carrier.
I’m still waiting for the movie, “One A-10 vs. the Whole Iranian Navy.”
ROFL
IDF has a simple solution, counter measure with swarming armed drones.
Somebody needs to make the largest fishing net in the world .. a couple hundred miles long... and stretch it parallel to shore about 1 mile out and see what they catch.
That would be like a pissant raping an elephant. It could be done in a swarm situation with lots of missiles. More than likely not at this point. Carriers have lots of protection from escorts and air coverage.
The USN has been doing a lot of research as to the best methods of stopping a swarm attack. And as is typical, they are very tight lipped about it. However, known area weapons could already reduce such a fast attack boat “armada” to flotsam.
For example, a propane bomb. Typically helicopter dropped, when deployed, it spins while spraying out a large cloud of propane, which it then ignites. Used on land, this causes a jump in atmospheric pressure from 1 atmosphere, to about 4 or 5 atmospheres in less than a second over an about mile square area. With very lethal consequences for those within its range.
Since water does not compress, over water it would be much worse.
An example of this is the CBU-72.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBU-72
“When a smuggling attempt is intercepted, the navy makes every effort to avoid harming the smugglers, out of an understanding that they are often civilians exploited by Hamas, the source said.”
This is a mistake. The smugglers need to fear Israel more than they fear Hamas.
L
i’m glad to know that. thanks.
I sit around figuring 600 billion bucks a year should EASILY protect our ship from Iran.
but i’m not an expert at all, like some of you guys on the board.
Cluster bombs were my first thought as well. But the discouraging thing is that the last line in the Wikipedia citation you provided indicates that our remaining CBU-72’s are being “demilitarized”, which I take as Obama-speak for unilateral disarmament.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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“read somewhere they could take down a carrier.”
Providing the carrier group is constrained by ROE this could be true. Just my opinion here but I think the American Navy knows what is around them within a hundred mile radius. The only reason someone can get within that radius is because the Navy allowed them to.
An example of that is several years back, Chinese subs bragged that they were able to sneak up on an American aircraft carrier.
“The submarine encounter with the USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships also is an embarrassment to the commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, Adm. William J. Fallon, who is engaged in an ambitious military exchange program with China aimed at improving relations between the two nations’ militaries.”
I submit that the US military isn’t that stupid and they learned more about the subs than the subs learned about them.
from you lips to God’s ears.
Different times, different weapons. Rest assured the USN has some impressively effective goodies. Remember that they regularly transverse the Strait of Hormuz, so this is never very far from their thoughts.
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