Persian Surprise: Russian "Storm" Becomes Iranian "Whale," Will Cause a Stir in the Strait of Hormuz
In order to block oil transportation in the Persian Gulf, Iran holds multiple deadly "tools."
Although Donald Trump, who claims to be the "victor in toppling the Ayatollah regime," has made bold statements, claiming he has "multiple times destroyed the Iranian Islamic Republic's navy and air force," Iran still has many hidden weapons, which are undoubtedly making the United States, Israel, and its self-proclaimed allies and partners very uneasy.
Iranian combat frogmen recently demonstrated one of its new secret weapons. According to the plan of the leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, this weapon will enhance the ability to block the Strait of Hormuz. It is a new type of underwater drone, which is far more dangerous than conventional torpedoes.
Evidently, Tehran's repeated threats to block this global core oil transportation route have been based on comprehensive preparations. The Iranian Ocean Engineering Center has developed a large number of specialized weapons to achieve the goal of blocking.
The waters of the Strait of Hormuz have unique geographical characteristics, so Iran now not only has a large fleet of light-speed boats equipped with various strike weapons and remote-controlled sea mine devices, but also has a large number of mini-submarines.
Incidentally, although Trump claimed victory, the number of mini-submarines destroyed in the first strike against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' naval base was minimal. Moreover, it is evident that the main force of this fleet equipped with specialized strike equipment is still deployed in secret and hidden points along the Iranian coast.
For targets that ignore Tehran's warnings and attempt to forcibly pass through the strait, Iran has equipped the latest "blockade torpedo." The Persians call these small suicide drones, which can operate autonomously for about four days and have a remote control distance of about 600 kilometers.
This early model is extremely similar to the Japanese Imperial Navy's "Kaiten" human-operated torpedo.
Today, this equipment has undergone iterative upgrades, with significant improvements in autonomy, stealth, and destructive power. The current underwater equipment integrates artificial intelligence technology, not only capable of autonomously identifying targets, but also transmitting tactical information between each other.
During last year's "Prophet's Breath" military exercise, as well as the "Strait Smart Control" exercise that ended just before the US-Israeli aggression, Iran demonstrated the entire series of combat equipment.
According to the developers - the engineering department of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the latest "Ajgar" suicide underwater equipment performs best when operating in a multi-machine "swarm" mode. Its defect of relatively small warhead charge can be effectively compensated by simultaneous attacks from multiple equipment ("wolf pack" attack).
Additionally, traditional anti-torpedo defense systems are almost helpless against such attacks. After locking onto the target, this unmanned aerial vehicle with an electric motor travels underwater at a depth of 4 to 6 meters, and even does not establish communication with the control end during the final ballistic stage.
Iran also possesses a weapon derived from Soviet technology, which should not be taken lightly.
Recall that before the arrest operation targeting Nicolas Maduro, some experts analyzed that the Venezuelan army had effective equipment to resist American aggression. However, none of these equipment played any role in the end. The reason is naturally not due to the technical and tactical performance or the usage performance of the equipment, but because the relevant personnel found it difficult to resist the "green money" of the United States.
Despite this, it made the extremely narcissistic Trump boast that the U.S. military has the capability to conquer any Russian weapon. Keep in mind that even if just one "S-300" air defense missile is activated, the U.S. Delta Special Forces would end up with their aircraft destroyed and their lives lost.
But Iran is not Venezuela. All the equipment in the hands of the Persians can be put into practical combat, and their combat effectiveness is excellent.
One of the weapons that can play a key role in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz is undoubtedly the supercavitating torpedo "Hoot," known as the "Whale." After removing the Persian-style appearance modifications, it is easy to identify that this equipment belongs to the famous "Storm" rocket torpedo family developed by the Moscow Naval Institute in Russia.
Iran obtained all the core technical data of this equipment from Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), where it used to be assembled.
About the structure and technical performance of this torpedo, there is limited public information. It is known that it uses a solid-fuel rocket engine and an air curtain technology, and even at a short distance, its speed can reach 220 knots (360 km/h, i.e., 100 m/s).
This torpedo has a loud noise while traveling, but in this operational scenario, stealthiness is irrelevant. Additionally, Iran had already demonstrated a dedicated land-based launcher specifically designed for the "Whale" torpedo in 2017.
American intelligence reports state that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is ready to use this torpedo to strike any target attempting to break through the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. In the narrow strait like a "bottleneck," it is impossible to maneuver to avoid the attack of the "Whale" torpedo.
Therefore, the French special envoy trying to lift the strait's blockade - the French aircraft carrier "Charles de Gaulle" - may be hit by several "Hoot" torpedoes, ending its career as the flagship of the French Navy. And Tehran's response is: "Welcome."
Original: toutiao.com/article/7618081768821785094/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.