Welcome to MSW’s Scuttlebutt! Here’s the news for the day.
Feature - ORP Kaszub wz.25
New MSW Crew member Rui Matos shares with us his build of the ORP Kaszub wz.25.
Iran says could deploy navy near U.S. coast
Source: Reuters
Iran raised the prospect on Tuesday of sending military ships close to the United States' Atlantic coast, in what would be a major escalation of tensions between the long-standing adversaries.
"Like the arrogant powers that are present near our marine borders, we will also have a powerful presence close to American marine borders," the head of the Navy, Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said, according to the official IRNA news agency.
Speaking at a ceremony marking the 31st anniversary of the start of the 1980-1988 war with Iraq, Sayyari gave no details of when such a deployment could happen or the number or type of vessels to be used.
The declaration comes just weeks after Turkey said it would host a NATO early warning radar system which will help spot missile threats from outside Europe, including potentially from Iran. The decision has angered Tehran which had enjoyed close relations with Ankara.
And it comes a few months after Iran sent warships through the Suez canal, after the fall of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the first time the Islamic Republic had deployed navy vessels in the Mediterranean.
The United States and Israel have not ruled out military action against Iran if diplomacy fails to stop it getting nuclear weapons. Tehran denies it is developing nuclear arms saying its atomic programme is for purely peaceful purposes.
Iran has dismissed the threats, warning that it will respond by hitting U.S. interests in the Gulf and Israel if any such attack happened.
Analysts say Tehran could retaliate by launching hit-and-run strikes in the Gulf and by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the waterway where about 40 percent of all traded oil passes.
The Islamic state often launches military drills in the country to display its military capabilities amid persistent speculation about a possible U.S. or Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities.
SOCOM Looking for New Combatant Craft
Source: Defense Tech
The spec ops community is pinging industry for ideas on a new Combatant Craft Medium Mk-1that is intended to replace the ageing NSW Rigid Hull Inflatable boat made famous by zooming frogmen and riverine units.
Defense Tech is checking into the background of this program since the presolicitation on FedBizOpps indicates the program had been cancelled and possibly rescoped this spring and summer. There’s some chatter on other blogs that indicates there was an internal debate over hull-form, speed and size within the NacSpecWar community and that the piracy issue — specifically who’s job it is to counter it — may have factored in as well.
But from the new documents on the program, it looks as if the current configuration of the CCM Mk-1 will have an objective range of 600 nm without reserve fuel, carry up to 19 pax with four crew, travel at around 50 knots and cost in the $4 million per boat and trailer range.
Whereas the RIB is C-130 transportable, the CCM Mk-1 will be transported in a C-17 with its FMTV “prime mover.” The command plans to purchase 30 Mk-1s and supply eight boats per squadron, the documents show. SOCOM plans to start production of the Mk-1 in 2015.
Iran Navy
Today’s website is an article on the Iran Navy. Enjoy.
This Day in U.S. Naval History
1863 - Confederate steamer David seriously damages USS New Ironsides with a spar torpedo off Charleston, S.C.
1913 - OWL (Over Water Land Type), the Navy's first amphibian flying boat, is tested at Hammondsport, N.Y.
1957 - Minitrack, a satellite tracking net developed by the Naval Research Laboratory, becomes operational. This network, with stations from Maine to Chile, tracked the Vangard satellite.
Diorama Idea of the Day
Russian icebreaker ADMIRAL MAKAROV. To see the original high resolution photo, click here.
Gator
