World Affairs Board - View Single Post - Mass speed boat attack on USN how effective?

-{SpoonmaN}- · 01-25-2008, 14:38 PM

Its also worth considering that the Carrier would almost certainly be maintaning a CAP if they were in The Gulf, correct? In all likelyhood there'd also be other Air Combat assets in flight in the area, this is the Persian Gulf after all. The other question is, how easily could the IIN and IRG put together such an operation without the mountains of aerial and orbital eyes that must be over Iran's coast noticing? If they could pull off such an attack with surprise, what would it achieve? They'd kill a bunch of American soldiers, damage a few ships of the USN's huge Surface Fleet, and then suffer a massive punitive campaign from the US Military's concentrated air power in the region. It just wouldn't make sense, unless Iran was planning it as some sort of prelude to an intervention in Southern Iraq, and even then I wonder what difference it would make since the USN has plenty of CVBGs that it can send in to replace any put out of action. Then of course there's the point that the IIA/IRG wouldn't likely stand any chance against the American/Iraqi forces already in country, even with the questionable loyalties of some segments of the New Iraqi Army, I doubt most of them would welcome an Iranian invasion, and the Sunni Arabs and Kurds would fight them to the edge of extinction.

It just doesn't make sense as a scenario, unless Iran and the USA were already at war, in which case I'd be surprised if the IIN and IRG could find 75-100 speedboats to put in the water.

01-25-2008, 14:38 PM	#41 (permalink)
-{SpoonmaN}- Death, the Destroyer of Worlds... *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 09-08-04 Location: The badlands of West London. Posts: 1,455 Country:	Its also worth considering that the Carrier would almost certainly be maintaning a CAP if they were in The Gulf, correct? In all likelyhood there'd also be other Air Combat assets in flight in the area, this is the Persian Gulf after all. The other question is, how easily could the IIN and IRG put together such an operation without the mountains of aerial and orbital eyes that must be over Iran's coast noticing? If they could pull off such an attack with surprise, what would it achieve? They'd kill a bunch of American soldiers, damage a few ships of the USN's huge Surface Fleet, and then suffer a massive punitive campaign from the US Military's concentrated air power in the region. It just wouldn't make sense, unless Iran was planning it as some sort of prelude to an intervention in Southern Iraq, and even then I wonder what difference it would make since the USN has plenty of CVBGs that it can send in to replace any put out of action. Then of course there's the point that the IIA/IRG wouldn't likely stand any chance against the American/Iraqi forces already in country, even with the questionable loyalties of some segments of the New Iraqi Army, I doubt most of them would welcome an Iranian invasion, and the Sunni Arabs and Kurds would fight them to the edge of extinction. It just doesn't make sense as a scenario, unless Iran and the USA were already at war, in which case I'd be surprised if the IIN and IRG could find 75-100 speedboats to put in the water. __________________ "I have this to say to the people of Australia: Kick me, I'm different."