Destroy Harassing Iranian Gunboats

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy Gunboats

“I have instructed the United States Navy to shoot down and destroy any and all Iranian gunboats if they harass our ships at sea.” President Donald Trump

US Navy Commanding Officers really didn’t need this missive from President Trump. They are fully aware of the responsibility of protecting their ship and crew, and would not hesitate to do just that if necessary. If anything, President Trump has given them some top cover with what is really just a sound bite.

The question is, just what method would they use to conduct an overwhelming defense on a swarm of attacking Iranian gun boats? The toolbox at their disposal is impressive.

Navy Ships “Authorized” to Destroy Iranian Small Boats — How Would They Do It?

Kris Osborn

Interceptor missiles, attack drones, deck-mounted guns, electronic warfare weapons and even lasers could quickly be called upon by U.S. Navy commanders to destroy Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf — should provocations, hostile actions or attacks require a lethal U.S. response.

The U.S. Navy is equipped, prepared and authorized to attack and defend against Iranian threats should that be needed, according to a recent tweet from President Trump and supporting comments from senior Pentagon leaders.

Iranian threats in the Persian Gulf have been on the Pentagon’s radar for many years, as Iranian military units have at times used small attack boat maneuvers and mines near their borders to intimidate forces and commercial ships. These maneuvers and threats — are by no means unprecedented — and they have been of particular concern in a narrow Strait of Hormuz waterway connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman; the Strait of Hormuz is a crucial, narrow passageway for international ships, such as oil tankers and other key vessels used for global commerce.

General John Hyten, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist recently spoke to reporters in support of the President’s message. They were clear that current U.S. commanders absolutely have the “authority” to engage and destroy Iranian boats and weapons … should that be necessary. The intent of the message, at least in part, seems to clearly warn Iran not to seek to capitalize upon the current U.S. COVID 19 crisis and explain that the U.S. military is still “ready for war” if necessary.

These current circumstances almost instantly lend themselves to a host of pertinent questions, and a bit of an analytical discussion regarding — “just how would the U.S. Navy quickly destroy Iranian forces should they need to?”

”If we see hostile intent, we have the right to respond up to and including lethal force, and if it happens in the Gulf, if it happens in any way, we will respond with overwhelming lethal force, if necessary, to defend ourselves, and it’s really that simple. But nobody should doubt that the commanders have the authority right now to respond to any hostile act or hostile intent,” Hyten told reporters recently, according to a Pentagon transcript of the discussion.

Deck-mounted 5-inch guns, now arming Navy cruisers and destroyers, may upon first glance come to mind, as they can blanket areas with lethal munitions at ranges out to 12km. In support of these guns, Navy surface ships, such as amphibs, carriers and Littoral Combat ships, are equipped with varying deck-mounted guns and interceptors — to include .50-cal machine guns and 57mm “small boat destroying” weapons (on LCS).

For instance, Navy surface ships are armed with an “area” interceptor weapon called Close-In-Weapons System (CIWS), a so-called phalanx gun engineered to fire hundreds of small metal projectiles in seconds; it can fire 4,500 rounds per minute. The weapon, while initially designed as a counter air drone, missile and even helicopter interceptor, has in recent years been upgraded into a “1B” variant specifically tailored for anti-surface warfare. This means the CIWS weapon is fully capable of destroying swarms of attacking small boats moving on the surface at close ranges. The CIWS gun is connected to ship-based radar, fire control and command and control technologies to activate quickly in the event that a surface ship is attacked.

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In addition, many Navy ships are armed with an upgraded variant of the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile Block 2, a missile built with an advanced seeker, guidance system and ability to take out sea-skimming anti-ship cruise missiles closer to the water. More recent ship-defense weapons included new iterations of Electronic Warfare and even lower-cost precise lasers designed with optics to detect — and then incinerate — incoming attacks. EW could of course be used to jam or thwart the electronic sensors and guidance systems of approaching weapons, therefore disabling their ability to strike. Laser and EW would of course be advantageous in highly trafficked waters with commercial or civilian ships in the area, as they would likely produce lower amounts of potentially harmful debris or fragmentation.

As mentioned in a previous post, before you can shoot it you have to see it. For that and more, read here: Defense Maven

Category: Iran, Navy