Iran vs USA - Are we sitting ducks?

Iranian Sub
Military personnel place a flag on a submarine during the Velayat-90 war games by the Iranian navy in the Strait of Hormuz in southern Iran December 27, 2011. Iran is rapidly gaining new capabilities to strike at U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, amassing an arsenal of sophisticated anti-ship missiles while expanding its fleet of fast-attack boats and submarines.

Sitting Ducks?  -  Are the US warships in the Persian Gulf just ultra-expensive targets for Iran?


December 6, 1941.  The military "experts" said we had little to fear from the Empire of Japan.  Some 24 hours later the value of expert opinion was proven for all of history.

Now our "experts" are placing expensive American warships in the small and crowded Persian Gulf within easy range of modern missile technology.
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The problem is Iran is rapidly gaining new capabilities to strike at U.S. warships in the Persian Gulf, amassing an arsenal of sophisticated anti-ship missiles while expanding its fleet of fast-attack boats and submarines, U.S. and Middle Eastern analysts say.

The new systems, many of them developed with foreign assistance, are giving Iran’s commanders new confidence that they could quickly damage or destroy U.S. ships if hostilities erupt reports the Washington Post.

Increasingly accurate short-range missiles — combined with Iran’s use of “swarm” tactics involving hundreds of heavily armed patrol boats — could strain the defensive capabilities of even the most modern U.S. ships.


Kamikaze Attacks

The likelihood that Iran would risk an all-out attack on a vastly superior U.S. fleet is judged to be small. But Iranian leaders could decide to launch a limited strike if Israel or the United States bombed the country’s nuclear facilities. A conflict could be sparked by an Iranian attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz in retaliation for international economic sanctions.

Iran’s increased power to retaliate has led some military experts to question the wisdom of deploying aircraft carriers and other expensive warships to the gulf if a conflict appears imminent.

A 2009 study prepared for the Naval War College warns of Iran’s increasing ability to “execute a massive naval ambush” in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway dotted with small islands and inlets and perfectly suited for the kind of asymmetric warfare preferred by Iran’s commanders.

A missile exercise was held in early July dubbed Great Prophet 7. The exercise included a demonstration of Iran’s newly deployed Khalid Farzh anti-ship missile, which has an internal guidance system, a powerful 1,400-pound warhead and a range of 180 miles.

Massive damage to the navy with WWII era technology.
Aircraft carrier HMS Formidable after being struck by a Kamikaze off Sakishima Islands.  A total of 57 ships were sunk by kamikazes including 3 aircraft carriers and 14 destroyers.
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If simple propeller driven planes can cause that much damage then our "modern" naval ships become expensive sitting ducks to missile technology or even fighter jets piloted by Jihadist suicide airmen.

"A cloud of wasps . . . "
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Iran’s arsenal already included a variety of anti-ship missiles such as the Chinese-made Silkworm. More recently, Iran has boasted of progress in developing high-speed torpedoes based on Russian designs. Such claims are often exaggerated, but the April Pentagon assessment noted that Iran’s arsenal now includes ballistic missiles with “seekers” that enable them to maneuver toward ships during flight.

Modern U.S. warships are equipped with multiple defense systems, such as the ship-based Aegis missile shield. But Iran has sought to neutralize the U.S. technological advantage by honing an ability to strike from multiple directions at once. The emerging strategy relies not only on mobile missile launchers but also on new mini-submarines, helicopters and hundreds of heavily armed small boats known as fast-attack craft.

These highly maneuverable small boats, some barely as long as a subway car, have become a cornerstone of Iran’s strategy for defending the gulf against a much larger adversary. The vessels can rapidly deploy Iran’s estimated 2,000 anti-ship mines or mass in groups to strike large warships from multiple sides at once, like a cloud of wasps attacking much larger prey.

“This is the scenario that is giving people nightmares,” said the official, who spoke to the Washington Post on the condition of anonymity in discussing strategy for defending against a possible Iranian attack.    (Washington Post)