The Next Phase of Iranian Naval Expansion

September 30, 2011 by Galrahn - informationdissemination.net

The Iranians have disclosed the next phase of their naval expansion, which will go from small boat swarms, seaplane squadrons, and small, missile carrying corvettes and patrol vessels to...

Iran's Deputy Navy Commander Captain Mansour Maqsoudlou has announced the country's plan to design and manufacture aircraft carriers.

The initial designs for building the carriers have been approved and the process of research, design and manufacture will start soon, Captain Maqsoudlou told IRNA on Wednesday.

The Iranian commander pointed to the Navy's capacities to accomplish the task despite the time-consuming nature of aircraft carrier building.

The Navy has set an agenda to produce vessels of different classes, some of which are being mass-produced and others being under study, Maqsoodlou pointed out.

I have no idea what to expect, but I suspect it will not look like aircraft carriers used by the rest of the world. I will also add that while Iranian naval capabilities are very different than what other nations are deploying, that doesn't mean they are automatically ineffective. It simply means the Iranian military solutions often has strengths and limitations depending upon environment and conditions, and they execute a very different battlefield doctrine to address what they see to as a sophisticated threat (US) with their own version of low cost countermeasures.

Iranian maritime capabilities are asymmetrical by design leveraging just about everything from small boats to seaplanes. I don't have any idea what an Iranian aircraft carrier will look like, but I will admit up front that I expect the Iranians will take a unique approach to fielding a limited but useful capability on a tight budget, and for that I do admire the Iranian ingenuity and imagination when it comes to the way they address military challenges of modern littoral warfare.

We'll have to wait and see though. This could also be the latest of a never-ending supply of Iranian naval absurdity.

See EagleOne for his thoughts, and a great pic.