Iranian Navy - Overview

Iranian Navy (Including IRGCN)

• Current numbers – 48,000 personnel

– 65 Aircraft

– 5 Frigates

– 3 Corvettes

– 28 Submarines

– 1,500 boats and small craft

US Navy

• Current numbers – 324,466 personnel

– 3,700+ Aircraft

– 11 Aircraft carriers

– 9 Amphibious assault ships

– 8 Amphibious transport docks

– 12 Dock landing ships

– 22 Cruisers

– 60 Destroyers

– 27 Frigates

– 71 Submarines

Iranian Navy

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (IRIN)

• 28,000 personnel

• Under command of Admiral Habibollah Sayyari

• Has all major surface and air combatants

• Focused on conventional maritime operations and warfare

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN)

• 20,000 personnel

• Consists of over 1,500 boats and small craft

• Focused on fast, maneuverable, small torpedo and missile boats, and asymmetric warfare

The Iranian Surface Fleet’s Major Combatants

Frigates Vosper Class

– UK Built – Propulsion: 2 shafts; 2 cruise

diesels – Gas turbines, 46,000 hp – 39 knots max speed – Crew: 135 – Radar: AWS-1 air search – Sonar: Type 174 hull – Armament: 4 x C-802, 1

114 mm Naval Gun, 1 dual 35 mm AA, 4 20 mm, 2 12.7 mm MG, 2 triple 324 mm torpedoes

Moudge Class

– Iranian Built

– Propulsion: 2 shafts; 2 diesels

– 30 knots max speed

– Crew: 120-140

– Radar: Unknown

– Sonar: Unknown

– Armament:4 x C-802 anti-ship missiles, 1 x 76 mm Fajr-27 naval gun, 1 x 40 mm AAA, 2 x 20 mm cannons, 2 x triple 324 mm torpedoes

Corvettes

Bayandor Class – US Built

– Propulsion: 4 diesels, 2 shafts, 5,300 bhp (3,950 kW),

– 20 knots max

– Crew: 133

– Radar: SPS-6 2-D air search

– Armament: 4 x C-802 anti-ship missiles, 1 x 76 mm naval cannon, 1 dual 40 mm AAA, 2 x 20 mm cannons, 2 x triple 324 mm torpedoes, 2 x 12.7 mm MG

Missile Craft

Houdong Class

– Chinese Built

– Propulsion: 3 diesels, 3 shafts, 8,025 hp

– 35 knots max

– Crew: 28

– Armament: 4 C802 SSM, 2 30 mm, and 2 23 mm guns

Combattante Class

– French Built

– Propulsion: 4 diesels, 4 shafts, 14,400 hp

– 36 knots max

– Crew: 31

– Armament: (2) or (4) C802 SSM, (1) 76 mm OTO DP, (1) 40 mm AA

Mine Warfare

• Large ship mine-laying – Hejaz LST – Riazi Class minesweeper

• Small ship mine-laying

• Mine Capabilities

– 4th largest sea mine inventory • Chinese EM11 bottom-

influence mine • EM-52 rising mines • EM31 moored mine

Iranian Naval tactics

Iran-Iraq War

• September 1980-August 1988

– Conventionally fought

• Lessons learned

– Iranian surface forces weak

– Birth of IRGCN

– Development of new ideologies

New Strategy

• Three principle aspects

– Use conventional weapons…unconventionally

– Massive amount of small boats with decentralized command authority

– Revolutionary spirit

Mine Warfare -The strait at its narrowest is 34 mi wide

Swarm Tactics

Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles

Iranian Air Assets

Patrol Aircraft

P-3F Orion Y-12 Panda

F-27 Friendship

Attack Aircraft

Su-24 Fencer

F-4 D/E Phantom II

Su-25 Frogfoot

Fighter Aircraft

Mirage F-1EQ

• F-5 Tiger

• Saeqeh

• Azarakhsh

F-7M Airguard

F-14A Tomcat

• 25 Operational

• Sold to the Shah in the 1970s

• Kept operational through 3rd party suppliers and indiginous parts production

MiG-29 Fulcrum

• Originally acquired from the Iraqi Air Force

• Now purchased from Russia

• Relatively modern and capable

• Fourth generation air superiority fighter

Islamic Republic of Iran Air Defense Force

Med/Long Range SAMs

• SA-2 Guideline

• Medium range

• High altitude

• SA-5 Gammon

• Long range

• High Altitude

Med/Short Range SAMs

• Improved-Hawk

• Medium range

• HQ-7

• Short range

Med/Short Range SAM

• SA-15 Gauntlet

• Short range

• SA-6 Gainful

• Medium range

Med/Short Range

• ZSU-23

• Radar guided AAA

• Point defense

• SA-22 Greyhound

• Combined SAM and AAA

Anti Aircraft Artillery (AAA)

• Oerlikon 35 mm

• Short range

• 100 mm

• Medium range

MANPADs

SA-7 Grail

SA-16 Gimlet

SA-18 Grouse

Shahab 3

• Strategic Medium Range Balistic Missile (MRBM)

• 1,930 km or 1,200 mi range

• Mach 7 in final stage

• Warhead

– 1 x 2,200 lb

– 5 x 620 lb cluster (indepenantly targetable)

Ballistic Missiles

Iranian Ground Forces

Two groups

• Islamic Republic of Iran Army (IRIA) ~465,000 personnel.

• Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ~120,000

– Basij ~ 90,000 AD, 300,000 reserve, and a total of 11 million men that can be mobilized if need be.

– Qods Force (Think Greenberets for bad guys)

Equipment

Tanks (~1600)

• ~100 domestically-produced Zulfiqar main battle tanks.

IRIA Tanks

~ 540 T-54s, T-55s and Type 59s and 75 T-62s

~168 M47 and M48 (Patton)

Artillery

~ 130 105 mm M2A1 ~540 D-30 122mm

Anti Armor

SPG-9 Toophan Guided AT Missle

Tactics

• Iranian military planners are adept at incorporating lessons from other conflicts, such as the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, to refine their own doctrines and strategies.

• To challenge a technologically superior adversary, such as the United States, Iranian doctrine emphasizes aspects of asymmetric warfare that play to Iran’s strengths, including geography, strategic depth and public willingness to accept casualties.

Iranian Submarines

Kilo Class - 3 Length – 75m Beam – 9.9m Draft – 6.5m Diesel Electric Propulsion Max Speed 25kts (submerged) Surface Search Radar Old but proven sonar suite

Weapons 6/533mm torpedo tubes 18 torpedoes 24 mines 8 SA-N-X surface to air missiles

Blue and brown water capabilities Range – 7,500 nm

Ghadir Class - 18 Length – 29m Beam – 3m Draft – 2.5m Diesel Electric Propulsion Max Speed – 11kts Weapons – 533mm torpedoes, mines Surface Search Radar “Modern” sonar suite Littoral Ops only

Nahang Class – 1

Diesel Electric Propulsion Max Speed – 12kts Weapons – torpedoes, mines (carried externally) Surface Search Radar Sonar Suite Littoral Ops only

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