Iran Reverse Engineers British Made Speed Boat to Sink Large US Naval Ships

Hooman Rowshan for Iran Reports March 19, 2011

NEW YORK, N.Y.--- The Iranian Navy announced the mass production of a speed boat for military use. The speed boat has been reverse engineered by the Iranians after the Islamic Republic successfully obtained a British made speed boat named Bladerunner 51.

“The vessel will be mass-produced in 1390 (March 2011-March 2012) based on the specified timeline,” said the Commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, Naval Force Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard is responsible for the security of the Persian Gulf.

According to Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, the use of speed boats in the Persian Gulf is at the heart of Iran’s naval doctrine. According to the Islamic Republic, the use of speed boats has proven successful against the large US naval assets deployed in the region.

The mass produced Bladerunner 51 is expected to be outfitted with different types of weapons, including missile launchers, with the primary purpose of attacking large US Naval vessels such as aircraft carriers.

Last year, Iran attempted to purchase the Bladerunner but the UK and U.S. authorities stopped the sale. However, the Islamic Republic was successful in acquiring the Bladerunner that served as the prototype for the mass produced version soon to go into service. It is not clear why U.S. and UK authorities did not stop the shipment before it reached its intended destination.

The Bladerunner speed boat is designed by Lorne Camopbell of Britain and runs on U.S. made Caterpillar engines.

The western military analysts believe the Iranians will use the speed boats outfitted with torpedoes as a way to engage in hit and run attacks against the nearby US aircraft carriers.

Craig Hooper, a San Francisco-based naval strategist, said Iran is "scouring the world for speedboats with potential military use." This will allow the Islamic Republic to upgrade its current fleet of Chinese and North Korean speedboats.

According to Fadavi, the mass produced Bladerunner will be outfitted with Russian made Shkval (Squall) torpedoes with a running speed of 225 mph. Fadavi added, “no warship can escape from the Russian torpedoes because they are so fast they could not be detected by radar.”

The Russian Navy placed the Shkval into service in the 1990s. It is known as the VA-111and it is launched from a 533mm torpedo tube with a payload of 95 pounds of high explosive.

The Shkval is similar to an underwater missile. Iran has developed its own version of Shkval called the Hout.

Some military experts are divided on the potential threat of Iranian made speed boats. These experts argue the Iranian naval doctrine is untested and the potential threat posed to large U.S. vessels is not substantial.

According to Hooper,“though the U.S. Navy is very concerned that a swarm of small boats can overwhelm and sink a large warship, the hypothesis is untested. It's never been done.A small, fast boat is nothing more than a surprise strike and harassment force. Every time small, fast boats run into helicopters, the helicopters win.”