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  • Hyperbolic Arsenal
    Posted by David A. Fulghum 6:25 PM on Jan 30, 2009

    Iran is boasting again of its secret military prowess. The Federation of American Scientists says new Iranian documents reveal that the Russian Shkval torpedo was tested for Iranian naval officials in 2004. The new, Iranian-built Hoot – also a high-speed, supercavitating anti-ship torpedo – is thought to be a derivative built by a division of Iran’s Aerospace Industries Organization. In April 2006, Iran successfully test fired the Hoot. More were launched in July 2008 as part of a weapons display.

    Iranian hyperbole was also high performance. Iranian officials say only they and Russia have the technology. “From a tactical point of view, what is of critical importance is that we are everywhere, while we are nowhere,” said Rear Adm. Morteza Safari of the Islamic Revolutionary Gurads Corps naval forces. “The intelligence the Americans have about us is very different from the intelligence they do not have about us.”

    A weapons specialist says that the Shkval and Hoot are ship- or sub-launched anti-ship and anti-sub weapons. The Shkval was initially designed for self-defense of Russian ballistic missile and attack submarines. When detected by an enemy ship or sub, the torpedo would be launched at high speed on a reciprocal heading. Russian press reports from 2006 say the technology got to Iran via China.

    With reporting by Douglas Barrie from London

    Tags: Hoot, Iran, anti-ship/sub, Russia, Shkval, ar99

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