Iran Launches New Submarines Designed To Harass Shipping

Iran has been busy attempting to ramp up domestic production of various military technologies, and it made special notice of its desire to build its own submarine fleet.

Needless to say, the submarines it came up with fall well short of US standards.

State-run Press TV showed the submarines sailing from an Iranian port. Iran's fleet of the 120-tonne Ghadir-class vessels, first produced in 2007, now numbered 11, it said.

They have "excellent shallow depth performance, and can carry out long-term coastal missions," Press TV said.

"With the mass production of this submarine alongside various guided-missile launchers the country's defensive production chain is complete," Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi said.

"These capabilities will be used to served peace, stability and security in the Persian Gulf region and the Sea of Oman."


The launch of the new submarines comes as Iranian officials deliver daily messages of defiance to the potential threat of a strike by Israel or the United States against the nuclear program Tehran says is entirely peaceful.

Iran has said it could close the Strait of Hormuz -- the gateway to the Gulf through which 40 percent of the world's traded oil travels -- if it comes under attack.

They're purposefully meant for coastal operations and have limited deepwater capabilities. Ultimately, these submarines are meant to harass oil tankers - not stopping a USN Carrier Task Force. They're meant to operate as harassment of shipping in the Persian Gulf, and the Iranians think that these subs will be hard for the USN or other navies to detect and destroy because of their size, electric motors, etc., ignoring that the USN has been doing the cat and mouse with the Soviet Union's sub fleet for several generations.

Moreover, as a closer examination of the submarine photos will indicate, the quality of construction isn't anywhere near what the US has been able to produce for several generations of submarines. It's design harkens back to the WW II era, and the various welded segments appear to be poorly done. The ship is a fraction of the size of a modern US submarine, and is meant for littoral water operations rather than an open-ocean confrontation. Its limited size also means that it is limited in the kinds or numbers of weapons that can be stowed aboard.

Indeed, it looks like Ecuadorian narco-terrorists have more sophisticated designs than the Iranian regime.

While it is easy to laugh at Iran's feeble sub fleet, it remains a threat to the oil shipping that passes through the Strait of Hormuz - and that's its chief use. Iran doesn't care if their subs get picked off by the US Navy. If the Iranians can damage or sink a couple of oil tankers, they will send oil prices through the roof and cause further instability in the Persian Gulf. That's their ultimate intention.

Two US Navy Ships Collide in Strait of Hormuz

This is a developing situation, but two US Navy ships, the USS Hartford (a submarine), collided with the USS New Orleans in the tight quarters of the Strait of Hormuz. 15 sailors on the Hartford suffered minor injuries and no injuries were reported on the New Orleans. Both ships are able to sail under their own power, but an oil slick was reported as a result of damage to an oil tank on board the New Orleans.

Here are the specs on the submarine Hartford and the amphibious warship New Orleans (LPD-18).

More Questions Than Answers In Russian Sub Accident

Many of the questions I raised yesterday at the news of the serious accident aboard a Russian sub, the RFS Nerpa, undergoing sea trials are now being raised by the media and the Russian authorities.

The accident happened on Saturday off the Russian coast in the Sea of Japan, where the submarine was being tested before it was due to be leased to the Indian navy for a contract reportedly worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

"The preliminary official version is the irregular functioning of the fire extinguishing system," Sergei Lelyukhin, a local government official, told AFP after investigators met in Bolshoi Kamen on Monday.

In as-yet unexplained circumstances, toxic freon gas was automatically pumped into the front section of the submarine after a fire alarm was triggered. Personnel in that section were starved of oxygen, officials said.

"There are 21 people currently being treated in hospital. The rest of the crew are being examined," Alexander Kostenko, deputy governor of Primorsky Krai, said on Channel One television.

Russian newspapers said the submarine was only intended for a crew of 73 and that there were 208 people on board during the tests. The Kommersant daily quoted navy personnel saying there may not have been enough oxygen masks.

Kommersant also quoted a shipbuilding industry source commenting on the status of the leasing contract to India, which the newspaper said was worth at least 650 million dollars (507 million euros).

"The submarine won't have significant damage after the accident. India's reaction to the incident is another thing, especially since its completion has been delayed at least twice," the source was quoted as saying.

How come there were so many people on board the submarine? Did they all have access to rescue apparatus that might have saved their lives once the fire suppression equipment was triggered? What triggered the release? Was it human error? Was it a manufacturing defect or design defect?

Also, what is the Indian government going to do in light of this serious accident on board the submarine that was set to be transitioned to the Indian Navy? The Indian government was to lease the Nerpa for 10 years under a then secret deal for $650 million. The project had been delayed at least twice, and this will no doubt further delay the sub entering service. There were no Indian sailors on board the sub at the time of the accident, although Indian sailors had been training at Russian facilities for several years in anticipation of the sub entering Indian service. Russia and India have made several other defense related deals, in addition to the sub:

The sea trials of Nerpa, christened INS Chakra by India, had been launched only last month. Though its construction at Amur Shipyard had begun way back in 1991, it was halted midway after Russia was hit by a financial crisis.

It was only after India pumped in money that Nerpa's construction had resumed, with the understanding that India would get the submarine on a 10-year lease. Interestingly, in January 2004, India had also signed the $1.5billion package deal with Russia for refit of decommissioned aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov and 16 MiG-29K fighters.

But with the package deal now being renegotiated, India might well have to pay another $2billion to get Gorshkov by 2012, with some indications that a part of huge cost escalation could be linked to Russia demanding more for Nerpa over the initial $650million.

Russia might not be in a great bargaining position with India given that they might have damaged goods on their hands. There's a real good reason why the Russians want to find blame with human error because if it was a design or manufacturing defect, there's no way that the Indian government would want to accept the sub with such a problem (or problems if there are still other undiscovered issues with the sub).

Russian Sub Accident Kills 20; Circumstances Unclear

Apparently, there was some kind of problem on board a new Russian nuclear submarine that was undergoing the first phases of its sea trials. Reports indicate that the submarine apparently had a malfunction/accidental release involving its fire suppression systems.

That's where things get hazy.

A new Russian submarine's fire safety system malfunctioned as the nuclear-powered vessel took a test run in the Sea of Japan, suffocating 20 people and sending 21 others to the hospital, officials said Sunday.

It was Russia's worst naval accident since torpedo explosions sank another nuclear-powered submarine, the Kursk, in the Barents Sea in 2000, killing all 118 seamen aboard.

The victims suffocated Saturday after the submarine's fire-extinguishing system accidentally turned on and released Freon gas, said Sergei Markin, an official with Russia's top investigative agency. He said forensic tests found Freon in the victims' lungs.

The submarine itself was not damaged and traveled back to its base on Russia's Pacific coast under its own power Sunday, Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said.

The nuclear reactor that powers the sub was operating normally and radiation levels in the sub were also normal, Dygalo said. He said the accident affected two sections of the submarine closest to the bow.

Seventeen civilians and three seamen died in the accident and 21 others were hospitalized after being evacuated to a destroyer that brought them to shore, Markin said in a statement, revising earlier casualty figures.

One has to wonder why those in the forward compartments did not don their safety masks and equipment. The problem was confined to the forward two compartments, and that suggests that either the forward compartments were previously sealed when the incident occurred, or there was sufficient time to seal them before the chemical spread throughout the boat. If it's the latter, one has to question why those in the forward compartments did not have sufficient time to get out. Were sufficient safety measures in place?

Bubblehead, who is one of my go to sources for all things submarine related, notes that this particular submarine is the Russian boat the Akula-II submarine RFS Nerpa, which is scheduled to be transitioned to the Indian Navy.

The fire suppression system was apparently accidentally turned on, which suggests that the Russians are looking to scapegoat someone on board, rather than some kind of manufacturing or design defect. It's also curious why the investigators would claim that freon was found in the lungs of the victims, and not halon, which is the primary fire suppression system used. Both chemicals are part of the same chemical family, but each has specific uses.

I expect that the nature of the accident will evolve as more information leaks out.

Iran Starts Production of New Submarines

Reports indicate that Iran is beginning construction of a new class of domestically produced middle-sized submarines. Iran claims that they would be able to fire torpedoes and missiles, but then again, most submarines have those capabilities. It would be several years before those home grown submarines reach the Iranian navy, but for now, the Iranians have three Russian Kilo-class submarines and a couple of mini-subs that are useful to plant mines or engage in suicide operations.

Yet, there is some strangeness with the report:

State television said the submarine, named "Ghaem," was the realization of the government's huge investments in the country's defense capabilities. Iran wants to achieve self-sufficiency in the defense area and equip its armed forces with modern weapons.

The report adds that the Iranian Navy earlier received two submarines named "Ghdair."

Production of Ghdair began in 2005.

Is Ghdair the class of submarine, or did they simply name multiple ships with the same name?

Iran previously attracted attention to its sub construction program by touting its submarine technologies, but which turned out to be little more than suicide subs.

So, far there is scant information about the capabilities of these new Iranian submarines or much else. Iran has been busy trying to expand its naval capabilities, since they could conceivably attempt to block the flow of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which is a major chokepoint entering the Persian Gulf and transit point through which much of the region's oil supplies travel.

Iran Talking Up New Mini-Sub; Photo Editing Extra

Iran's busy talking up their new mini-sub, and Fars, the Iranian news outlet, doesn't seem to know the difference between an Iranian mini-sub and an American Los Angeles class submarine. In fact, it appears that they purposefully photo-edited the image from the US Navy website. Bubblehead has the details.

Via Strategy Page:

From available information, this appears to be an Iranian version of the Italian MG110 mini-subs. Some of these boats were sold to Pakistan years ago. The Iranians and Pakistanis have been known to exchange information like this (on foreign weapons) before.

The MG110s are 85 feet long, displace 105 tons and have a crew of six. These boats are designed to also carry eight combat scuba divers. These subs can carry two torpedoes or mines externally. Top speed on the surface (using the diesel engine) is 16 kilometers an hour. The sub can stay at sea for about five days. It can stay under water for up to eight hours at a time (on batteries). These subs are hard to detect, but it remains to be seen if the Iranian boats are as reliable and capable as the Italian ones they are modeled on. The Iranians love to talk up new weapons they developed themselves, but when the stuff is actually put to use, the performance tends to be dismal.